Author Archives: Cheyenne MacDonald

Kiss’ final show ended with a performance by digital avatars made to immortalize the band

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Kiss’ final live performance at Madison Square Garden in New York last night also turned out to be the first for the band’s successors — four digital avatars that will play on in the real members’ retirement from physical shows. Kiss concluded the last show of its “The End of the Road” tour by introducing the new virtual band, which then performed “God Gave Rock And Roll To You.”

The avatars weren’t just straight replicas of the current band members — Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer — but interpretations of them “as fantasy-based superheroes,” said Pophouse Entertainment, which partnered with George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic for their creation. And, it says that’s just “one of the many and varied ways in which Kiss will live on as digital performers through their avatars in the future.” Industrial Light & Magic also created the digital avatars of ABBA (or ABBAtars) for the ongoing ABBA Voyage show in London.

No specific plans for the virtual band have been announced just yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see similar Kiss experiences pop up in the near future. Gene Simmons, who founded Kiss alongside Paul Stanley, said the move will keep the band “forever young and forever iconic,” while Stanley called it a way to “see Kiss immortalized” and take the group “to a completely different level beyond being just a music band.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kiss-final-show-ended-with-a-performance-by-digital-avatars-made-to-immortalize-the-band-210024877.html?src=rss

Google is reportedly pushing the launch of its Gemini AI to 2024

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Google has canceled its Gemini launch events scheduled for next week and now plans to launch its GPT-4 competitor in January, according to The Information. The company teased Gemini at I/O 2023, touting it then as a foundational model with “impressive multimodal capabilities” early in its training.

Google initially planned to debut it before the end of the year in an unusually timed launch between the holidays — which it didn’t publicly announce — but sources told The Information that Gemini was struggling with non-English queries, prompting CEO Sundar Pichai to delay its release. Gemini is intended to be able to handle a broad range of applications, combining different types of data like images and text for more advanced tasks. In May, Google said, “Once fine-tuned and rigorously tested for safety, Gemini will be available at various sizes and capabilities.”

Gemini is expected to bring improvements to Google’s existing AI and AI-enhanced products too, like Bard, Google Assistant and Search. But, given the significance of this release and the dominance rival OpenAI already has in the space, it seems Google isn’t going to risk rushing Gemini out the door.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-is-reportedly-pushing-the-launch-of-its-gemini-ai-to-2024-173444507.html?src=rss

Amazon is swallowing its pride to ensure its internet satellites get to orbit on time

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Amazon announced on Friday that it’s signed a contract with SpaceX to deliver batches of its Project Kuiper satellites to low Earth orbit in 2025. SpaceX is undoubtedly Amazon’s biggest competitor as it breaks into the satellite internet space, and already has a constellation of over 4,000 Starlink satellites in operation. It’s also a rival of Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos that has its own rockets in development. But when it comes to launches, SpaceX’s pace and the reliability of its Falcon 9 rocket is unmatched.

The contract with SpaceX is for three Falcon 9 launches, Amazon said in a blog post. They’re expected to lift off in mid-2025. Amazon is planning to start customer pilots of its Project Kuiper satellite internet service by the end of next year, and will soon start deploying the fleet that will support it. It launched its first two prototype satellites in October. The company already has deals for upcoming launches on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket, Arianespace’s Ariane 6 and Blue Origin’s New Glenn — all of which have been hit by development delays and may or may not make their first flights between this year and next.

Amazon said in its announcement that “the additional launches with SpaceX offer even more capacity to support our deployment schedule.” The company has said its Project Kuiper constellation will consist of 3,236 satellites, at least half of which must be in operation by summer 2026 to comply with its FCC license.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-swallowing-its-pride-to-ensure-its-internet-satellites-get-to-orbit-on-time-222906412.html?src=rss

23andMe hackers accessed ancestry information on millions of customers using a feature that matches relatives

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An SEC filing has revealed more details on a data breach affecting 23andMe users that was disclosed earlier this fall. The company says its investigation found hackers were able to access the accounts of roughly 0.1 percent of its userbase, or about 14,000 of its 14 million total customers, TechCrunch notes. On top of that, the attackers were able to exploit 23andMe’s opt-in DNA Relatives (DNAR) feature, which matches users with their genetic relatives, to access information about millions of other users. A 23andMe spokesperson told Engadget that hackers accessed the DNAR profiles of roughly 5.5 million customers this way, plus Family Tree profile information from 1.4 million DNA Relative participants.

DNAR Profiles contain sensitive details including self-reported information like display names and locations, as well as shared DNA percentages for DNA Relatives matches, family names, predicted relationships and ancestry reports. Family Tree profiles contain display names and relationship labels, plus other information that a user may choose to add, including birth year and location. When the breach was first revealed in October, the company said its investigation “found that no genetic testing results have been leaked.” 

According to the new filing, the data “generally included ancestry information, and, for a subset of those accounts, health-related information based upon the user’s genetics.” All of this was obtained through a credential-stuffing attack, in which hackers used login information from other, previously compromised websites to access those users’ accounts on other sites. In doing this, the filing says, “the threat actor also accessed a significant number of files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry that such users chose to share when opting in to 23andMe’s DNA Relatives feature and posted certain information online.”

Following the discovery of the breach, 23andMe instructed affected users to change their passwords and later rolled out two-factor authentication for all of its customers. In another update on Friday, 23andMe said it had completed the investigation and is notifying everyone who was affected. The company also wrote in the filing that it “believes that the threat actor activity is contained,” and is working to have the publicly-posted information taken down.

Update, December 2 2023, 7:03PM ET: This story has been updated to include information provided by a 23andMe spokesperson on the scope of the breach and the number of DNA Relative participants affected.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/23andme-hackers-accessed-ancestry-information-from-thousands-of-customers-and-their-dna-relatives-205758731.html?src=rss

Amazon just dropped the first teaser trailer for its Fallout series

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Amazon has released the first official teaser trailer for Fallout, its upcoming live-action series based on the best-selling video games. The clip gives us a look at Amazon’s take on the post-apocalyptic wasteland, and Yellowjackets actor Ella Purnell emerging from Vault 33 to meet it for the first time. The series will be set in Los Angeles 200 years after a nuclear war brought Earth to ruins.

The trailer arrives a few days after Amazon released stills from the show, now showing a deeper look at the characters and the horrors they’ll encounter in the wastes. And it so far seems a promising indication of how the series will approach its well-loved source material. 

Starring alongside Purnell, Fallout also features Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight) as a breakout ghoul, Aaron Moten (Emancipation) as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) as a vault overseer. There’s also a dog named CX404, which we see in the video and in marketing materials toting around a severed hand. Fallout comes out on Prime Video on April 12 next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-just-dropped-the-first-teaser-trailer-for-its-fallout-series-182055521.html?src=rss

OpenAI’s GPT Store won’t be released until 2024

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OpenAI is pushing the launch of its GPT Store to early 2024, according to an email seen by The Verge. The company introduced its GPT Builder tool in early November at its first developer conference, giving subscribers an easy way to create their own custom AI bots. At the time, OpenAI also said it would soon release the GPT Store for users to list their GPTs and potentially make money from them. It was initially slated for a November launch. But, with the surprise ouster of OpenAI’s since-reinstated CEO Sam Altman, the month didn’t quite pan out as planned.

“In terms of what’s next, we are now planning to launch the GPT Store early next year,” OpenAI said in its email to GPT Builder users on Friday. “While we had expected to release it this month, a few things have been keeping us unexpectedly busy!” The email also notes that the company has been making improvements to GPTs based on users’ feedback, and says some updates to ChatGPT are on the way.

OpenAI has been in the process of reorganizing its leadership following the turmoil of the past few weeks. The company confirmed on Wednesday that Altman was back as CEO, with Mira Murati now in place as CTO and Greg Brockman as President. It also announced the formation of a new initial board, which includes representation from Microsoft — its biggest investor — as a non-voting observer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openais-gpt-store-wont-be-released-until-2024-162113991.html?src=rss

Anker Cyber Monday deals: Save up to 36 percent on chargers, cables, power banks and more

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We recommend Anker gear in many of our guides to consumer electronics. The company tends to make simple, reliable accessories that help you get the most out of your devices. Which is why we were happy to see this Cyber Monday Anker sale. Right now, Amazon is offering strong discounts up to 40 percent off on cables, chargers, power banks, and hubs. This is a great time to stock up for yourself, or grab a few handy items to use as stocking stuffers for the holidays. Here are the best deals from Amazon’s Cyber Monday Anker sale.

Anker Magnetic Battery

Anker's magnetic battery pack is now $25 off for Cyber Monday. This portable bank will charge your iPhone on the go, and has a kickstand to prop it up as it does so. The 10,000mAh capacity should hold enough charge to re-up your phone to 100 percent and still have a little left over for a partial refill down the line. You can even use the port to charge your phone with a cable for an even quicker recharge. 

Anker Prime 100W USB-C Fast Charger

Anker’s Prime 100W fast charger is great for when you need to charge multiple devices at once. It has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port, with a maximum output of 100W when using two ports at once. That means your devices will charge up pretty quickly. It’s compatible with most popular smartphones, including the flagships from Apple, Samsung and Google, and is strong enough to charge your iPad and MacBook.

Anker USB-C to USB-A hub

If you just need a simple way to add four USB type A connections to your laptop, this Anker hub could be what you're looking for. It connects via USB-C and offers four ports for thumbdrives, radio dongles, wired keyboards and other accessories. It works with Windows, Macs and even iPads, with no driver installation required, and supports data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. There's even a generously long, two-foot cable so you have more leeway to arrange your desk how you want. The list price is $20, but Cyber Monday takes 35 percent off, making it just $13.  

Anker Prime 67W USB C Charger

The 67W Prime charger from Anker is another fast-charging option for multiple devices, though it’s a bit less powerful than its 100W sibling. For single devices, it’ll max out at 67W, while charging two devices at once will be capped at 65W. It’s compact, at about half the size of Apple’s MacBook charger of the same wattage, and has three ports: two USB-C and one USB-A. It plugs directly into the wall, with two prongs that fold away for easier storage when it’s not plugged in.

Anker Prime Power Bank 200W, 20,000mAh

If you want your devices charged as fast as possible, the Anker Prime Power Bank 200W is the one for you. Anker says this portable power bank will get your device from zero to 10 percent in just 5 minutes, and can get a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50 percent within 40 minutes. This power bank also comes with three ports (two USB-C and one USB-A), making it compatible with a wide range of devices. It comes with a compact 100W charging base that can recharge the power bank to full capacity in an hour and 15 minutes.

Anker

Prime members can get the Anker 341 Hub for 33 percent off for Cyber Monday. We recommend it in our iPad accessories guide as it's a lightweight way to add additional peripherals to your tablet. It offers two USB-A ports, two USB-C connections, SD and microSD card slots and a 4K/30Hz HDMI port for an external monitor, so you'll have plenty of options for getting the most out of the processing power of your iPad. It also provides up to 85W of pass-through charging. 

Anker 313 Wireless charger

Amazon Prime members can save 30 percent on one of our recommended wireless chargers. The Anker 313 wireless charger stand is just $14.40 instead of $20 for subscribers. It doesn't include a wall plug, so you'll need to supply your own. It also tops out at 10W for Android phones and only delivers 5W to iPhones, so it's not the fastest. But it can charge in landscape or portrait and for less than $15, it could serve as an extra place to drop your phone and power it up. 

Anker 333 USB-C Cable 3-Pack

You can never have too many cables, especially since they always seem to go missing. Anker is running a deal on a three-pack of 100W USB-C cables, meaning they support fast charging. The pack comes with three sizes — 3.3-foot, 6-foot, and 10-foot — and they should work with most popular smartphones, laptops and tablets. They’re wrapped in braided nylon, so they should be pretty durable, too.

Anker Nano Power Bank, 5,000mAh

Anker’s Nano Power Bank is both adorable and convenient. The 5,000mAh portable charger has a built-in USB-C connector that folds away when you’re not using it, so it’s easy to toss in a bag. It maxes out at 22.5W, so while it may not be the fastest charging option out there, it’ll still juice your devices up pretty quickly. Anker says it will get an iPhone 15 to 43 percent charge in 30 minutes. It comes in five colors, but the Cyber Monday deal is for the Shell White version.

Anker Nano Power Bank, 10,000mAh

The 10,000mAh Nano Power Bank offers faster charging speeds and more power storage than the aforementioned version, plus bi-directional charging. Anker says it can bring an iPhone 15 from zero to 50 percent in 30 minutes, at a maximum output of 30W. It has a USB-C and a USB-A port, and a short USB-C cable that tucks away when you don’t need it.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-cyber-monday-deals-save-up-to-36-percent-on-chargers-cables-power-banks-and-more-123003276.html?src=rss

Cult of the Lamb is getting a major free update called Sins of the Flesh in early 2024

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The beloved action-adventure roguelike Cult of the Lamb is getting some much-awaited new content next year in an update called “Sins of the Flesh,” and many fans are hoping it’ll be the “sex update” they’ve been (jokingly? semi-seriously?) asking for. But, the team behind the game is being characteristically coy about whether that’ll actually be the case. “Sins of the Flesh,” announced in a tweet this week, will be free and “packed with new features, stories, and more.”

Per the tweet, the update will be available “very early next year.” The official X account also teased the release of more information in the weeks to come. Art shared alongside the announcement shows the cutesy cult members dancing nearly nude around a fire. Further fueling the “sex update” speculation, the team also posted a zoomed in crop of the art on Sunday showing two characters laying on the ground, embracing, and tweeted, “This could be us.”

Amidst the celebration and some concern online over the possible sex update, though, a community manager for developer Massive Monster wrote on Steam that people are “really running with” the sex update joke, and that “the age rating hopefully won’t change after this update,” suggesting it won't dip too far into more explicit territory. Yet, responding on X to a PC Gamer article that said the expansion won’t be the sex update, the Cult of the Lamb account posted, “Says who?” So really, who knows at this point. In a game that already has cannibalism and ritual sacrifice, everything is on the table.

Cult of the Lamb last got some new DLC back in April and announced a crossover with Don’t Starve Together over the summer. If you missed the boat when the game first dropped in 2022, there’s plenty of time to start playing and catch up before the new content is released... new content that may or may not involve sex.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cult-of-the-lamb-is-getting-a-major-free-update-called-sins-of-the-flesh-in-early-2024-203500271.html?src=rss

Amazon Cyber Monday deals: Get 30 percent off our favorite TP-Link Kasa smart plugs

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Smart plugs are a great way to bring even your non-IoT devices into the smart home ecosystem, and with a Cyber Monday deal on Amazon, you can pick up some of the best for super cheap. A four-pack of TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A is 30 percent off, bringing the price down to just $35 dollars from its usual cost of $50. These smart plugs work with all of the major smart home platforms, including Apple Homekit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.

Kasa Smart Plugs are easy to set up through the app, available for both iOS and Android, and are great for anyone looking for a no-fuss experience. They top our list of the best smart plugs you can get today thanks to their versatility and ease of use. With the smart plugs, you’ll have access to voice and remote controls, device scheduling, grouping and even energy monitoring to see how much power your devices are consuming. While smart plugs won’t be able to handle complex smart home programming, they can be used to control simple functions like turning a lamp on or off.

The Smart Plug Mini is designed to take up minimal space, so it doesn’t block other outlets when it’s plugged into the wall — as can be an issue when plugging in chunky accessory blocks. It connects to your home Wi-Fi and can receive voice commands from Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant or Samsung SmartThings for hands-free use. Or, you can control the plugs and thus the connected devices through the app. While the app doesn’t have a built-in sharing mode to add multiple members of the household, you can use the same login on multiple devices, so multiple family members can have access.

Besides smart plugs, TP-Link has several smart home devices on sale for Cyber Monday. The color-changing Kasa Smart Light Bulbs, which are among the best smart light bulbs on the market, are 35 percent off. A four-pack of the light bulbs is just $26, down from its normal price of $40. The light bulbs support Google Assistant and Alexa for voice controls, as well as control via the app. There are also deals on IoT security cameras, dimmer switches and outdoor plugs.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-cyber-monday-deals-get-30-percent-off-our-favorite-tp-link-kasa-smart-plugs-173008455.html?src=rss

Amazon Cyber Monday deals drop the price of the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil to an all-time low of $80

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Whether you’re an artist or an avid notetaker, an Apple Pencil can transform the way you work on your iPad. Normally, they don’t come cheap — but in a Cyber Monday deal on Amazon, Apple’s second-generation Apple Pencil is down to its lowest price yet at $80. You’ll be saving nearly $50 on the stylus that’s made just for the iPad. Without a discount, it costs around $130. The second-generation Apple Pencil brought a number of improvements over the previous version, including double-tap controls and magnetic attachment to the iPad for easy storage and wireless charging.

You can’t do any better than an Apple Pencil if you’re looking for a stylus to work with your iPad. It was crafted with Apple’s tablet in mind, and as such it’s one of the best iPad accessories available. The second-gen Apple Pencil offers low latency so there’s no lag as you’re writing or drawing on the touchscreen, and Apple says it achieves “pixel-perfect precision.” It also has pressure and tilt sensitivity for more natural control over things like stroke width, opacity and shading. You can double-tap the pencil to easily switch between tools.

The second-generation Apple Pencil doesn’t work with every model of iPad, though, and you’ll want to double-check compatibility before picking one up. It’s compatible with the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (third-generation and later), all generations of iPad Pro 11-inch, iPad Air (fourth- and fifth-gen), and the iPad mini (sixth-gen). The Apple Pencil can magnetically attach to the side of these iPads to charge wirelessly while it’s not in use. For those who have an iPad Pro, it also supports Apple Pencil hover, which lets you preview tools or colors before committing to them.

Apple also still offers the first-generation Apple Pencil, which is compatible with older iPad models, and it’s on sale for Cyber Monday too. It’s down to $80 from its usual price of $100, and works with iPad Pro 12.9-inch (first and second generation), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, the third generation iPad Air, fifth generation iPad mini, and iPad (sixth-gen and later). Apple’s more budget-friendly Apple Pencil with USB-C charging is discounted right now as well, dropping to $71 from $80. That model works with the same iPad models as the second-generation Apple Pencil, plus the 10th generation iPad.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-cyber-monday-deals-drop-the-price-of-the-2nd-gen-apple-pencil-to-an-all-time-low-of-80-154236215.html?src=rss