Author Archives: Anna Washenko

Siri might ignore commands spoken in Apple commercials soon

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Voice assistants have a reputation for finicky activation, such as responding to their prompts that are spoken in an ad. Apple may have a fix for that in the works. 9to5Mac spotted this element in the tvOS 18.2 beta. A part of code called AdBlocker appears to use the Shazam API to match audio captured by a device's microphones against audio fingerprints downloaded from Apple. When there's a match, the usual Siri trigger command is disabled. In theory, this means Apple could have devices not react to the "Hey Siri" prompt when it's spoken as part of the company's keynote presentations or TV advertisements.

The publication only found this feature in the current developer beta of tvOS, which it suggests means that HomePod smart speaker will be the first device to potentially ignore those "Hey Siri" commands. However, iOS 18.2 is also in developer beta and is bringing more Apple Intelligence features to Apple's smartphones, as well as possibly integrating ChatGPT subscriptions with Siri.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/siri-might-ignore-commands-spoken-in-apple-commercials-soon-220855324.html?src=rss

You can now post tracks to TikTok from Spotify and Apple Music

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TikTok is all about the tunes, and the social network has added integrations to directly post audio from streaming services. Share to TikTok is a new feature that will let listeners in Apple Music and Spotify share music to the video platform. The tool can post a track, album, playlist or other content to the TikTok Feed, either in FYP or Stories. Streaming audio material can also be shared via a TikTok DM.

Even though TikTok has become a popular place to discover and share audio, the company recently announced that its TikTok Music platform would be shutting down later this month; the service never launched in the US. The business has also faced scrutiny for encouraging addictive behavior in its users, as well as posing a possible security threat. The US has considered banning the app, and Canada recently ordered TikTok to shut down its domestic operations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/you-can-now-post-tracks-to-tiktok-from-spotify-and-apple-music-195521948.html?src=rss

You can now post tracks to TikTok from Spotify and Apple Music

Posted on by

TikTok is all about the tunes, and the social network has added integrations to directly post audio from streaming services. Share to TikTok is a new feature that will let listeners in Apple Music and Spotify share music to the video platform. The tool can post a track, album, playlist or other content to the TikTok Feed, either in FYP or Stories. Streaming audio material can also be shared via a TikTok DM.

Even though TikTok has become a popular place to discover and share audio, the company recently announced that its TikTok Music platform would be shutting down later this month; the service never launched in the US. The business has also faced scrutiny for encouraging addictive behavior in its users, as well as posing a possible security threat. The US has considered banning the app, and Canada recently ordered TikTok to shut down its domestic operations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/you-can-now-post-tracks-to-tiktok-from-spotify-and-apple-music-195521948.html?src=rss

Amazon is making a Mass Effect television show

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BioWare had told Mass Effect fans to expect a quiet N7 day without any updates on the new game in the works, but there is still some exciting news for the franchise today. Variety reports that Amazon MGM Studios is developing a TV series based on the sci-fi universe. Rumors first emerged about the tech company's interest in a Mass Effect show back in 2021, but now it's official.

Daniel Casey will be the series' writer and executive producer. He has action credits on the screenplay for F9: The Fast Saga and made contributions to sci-fi films Kin and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Variety noted some of the other executive producers, but there have been no details shared yet about the cast or plot of the project. Since a large part of the original Mass Effect games' appeal was players making their own choices about Commander Shepard's moral compass and love life, it seems likely that a show would want to tell an original story within that universe rather than retreading the same path as the trilogy.

Amazon had a huge win with its TV adaptation of Fallout earlier this year, and it seems the company is going to continue mining video games for source material. After some stumbles, Amazon is also reviving its plans for a live-action God of War show. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/amazon-is-making-a-mass-effect-television-show-185111285.html?src=rss

Amazon is making a Mass Effect television show

Posted on by

BioWare had told Mass Effect fans to expect a quiet N7 day without any updates on the new game in the works, but there is still some exciting news for the franchise today. Variety reports that Amazon MGM Studios is developing a TV series based on the sci-fi universe. Rumors first emerged about the tech company's interest in a Mass Effect show back in 2021, but now it's official.

Daniel Casey will be the series' writer and executive producer. He has action credits on the screenplay for F9: The Fast Saga and made contributions to sci-fi films Kin and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Variety noted some of the other executive producers, but there have been no details shared yet about the cast or plot of the project. Since a large part of the original Mass Effect games' appeal was players making their own choices about Commander Shepard's moral compass and love life, it seems likely that a show would want to tell an original story within that universe rather than retreading the same path as the trilogy.

Amazon had a huge win with its TV adaptation of Fallout earlier this year, and it seems the company is going to continue mining video games for source material. After some stumbles, Amazon is also reviving its plans for a live-action God of War show. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/amazon-is-making-a-mass-effect-television-show-185111285.html?src=rss

Sega apparently has a new Virtua Fighter game in the works

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Virtua Fighter may soon be punching its way back into the public eye. Justin Scarpone, Sega's global head of transmedia, casually dropped the news about a new game in the franchise during an interview with VGC. "We have a suite of titles in development right now that fall into that legacy bucket, which we announced last year at The Game Awards," he said. "Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and we have another Virtua Fighter being developed. And so all that’s very exciting."

Exciting indeed. Most of those titles were indeed showcased during The Game Awards as part of a new era for Sega, but Scarpone's mention of Virtua Fighter is a new revelation. The last numbered entry in the series was Virtua Fighter 5 all the way back in 2006. That's not to say the fighting game franchise has been static since then; there have been riffs and redos such as Virtual Fighter 5: Final Showdown in 2015 and 2021's Virtua Fighter Ultimate Showdown. But it has been nearly 20 years since fans have gotten an all new game.

Beyond this offhand confirmation that Sega is working on a follow-up, we know nothing about what the future might hold for a possible Virtua Fighter 6. It seems likely that Akira Yuki and other familiar faces will return, but anything's possible for the characters and mechanics.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sega-apparently-has-a-new-virtua-fighter-game-in-the-works-235417627.html?src=rss

Roblox details two new safety policies for protecting children

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Roblox is implementing new safety policies intended to better protect the platform's young users. We learned last month that changes were in the works for the game, and a post on the Roblox developer forum today detailed more about those rules. The big takeaway is that a greater section of Roblox content will not be available to players under age 13.

The first part of the new Roblox policy is that starting December 3, users younger than 13 will not be able to play, search or discover any unrated experiences on the platform. However, they can still view information on the experience detail page via a direct link. Roblox is thus requiring creators to confirm that the information on their experience detail pages — such as the thumbnail, title and description — meets the company's criteria for either all ages or for ages 9 and up.

The second part of the policy will restrict access to Roblox's Social Hangouts and Free-form User Creation experiences to users who are over 13. This rule will take effect on November 18.

Roblox has a rocky history when it comes to safety for youth and preteen users. Since 2018, at least two dozen people have been arrested by US policy on accusations of abducting or abusing child victims met through Roblox.

Update, November 6, 2024, 6:27PM ET: Article has been updated to fix an incorrect date. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-details-two-new-safety-policies-for-protecting-children-225053423.html?src=rss

Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts can unionize without being full-time employees

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Massachusetts has passed a statewide ballot initiative that gives rideshare drivers the opportunity to unionize while remaining independent contractors. The initiative was brought forward by the Service Employees International Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. It passed with a narrow margin of about 54 percent of the vote.

The measure will allow the state's 70,000 rideshare drivers to form unions and leverage collective bargaining power, which is not permitted for independent contractors under the National Labor Relations Act. These workers can unionize if they receive signatures from at least 25 percent of active drivers in Massachusetts. The initiative also creates a hearing process so that drivers for companies such as Lyft and Uber can bring complaints about unfair work practices to a state board. However, the ballot initiative does not contain language about strike protections. It also does not extend to food delivery drivers.

Uber and Lyft did not actively campaign against the Massachusetts measure, but they have raised concerns about the specific language. Some labor advocates also opposed the initiative, cautioning that it could hamper efforts for rideshare drivers to win recognition as full-time employees. "We're not against unionization," Kelly Cobb-Lemire, an organizer with Massachusetts Drivers United, told The New York Times. "But we don't feel this goes far enough."

Independent contractors often are not protected by federal or state labor laws because they aren't full-time employees. The Massachusetts ballot measure could create a precedent for other states to offer unionization options for gig workers. California has been a battleground for labor protections for gig workers who drive for Uber and Lyft for several years. Most recently, a court allowed California drivers to retain independent contractor status.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rideshare-drivers-in-massachusetts-can-unionize-without-being-full-time-employees-212202426.html?src=rss

Sony will discontinue its pricey Airpeak S1 camera drone in March

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Sony announced that it will stop selling the Airpeak S1 camera drone. Sales of the product will end on March 31, 2025. Sony will also stop selling most of the drone's accessories next year, but replacement batteries and propellers will be available until March 31, 2026. Inspections, repairs and software maintenance will continue through March 31, 2030.

The Airpeak S1 was initially introduced during a virtual presentation at CES in 2021. The drone was intended to capture high-definition footage with Sony's full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha cameras. It could fly for 12 minutes with a camera attached and achieved a max flight speed of 55.9mph. While the high-end drone would set buyers back about $9,000 even before buying accessories, it had middling to flat-out negative reviews.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/sony-discontinues-its-pricey-airpeak-s1-camera-drone-in-march-234823252.html?src=rss

The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is fully back in action with saving pages

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The Internet Archive is continuing the recovery process after a series of DDoS attacks that took down its servers in early October. On Monday, the nonprofit digital library posted on X that its 'Save Page Now' service has been restored to the Wayback Machine.

The Wayback Machine resumed operation in read-only mode on October 14; now users can upload new web pages to record their information and access them later. As the X post notes, the Wayback Machine will begin collecting web pages that have been archived since October 9 when the entire site was taken down.

The October DDoS attacks coincided with the Internet Archive's move to disclose a data breach that saw more than 31 million records taken. Security researcher Troy Hunt, who runs the Have I Been Pwned? service for monitoring compromised accounts, said that the two actions against the Internet Archive were "entirely coincidental" and likely taken by "multiple parties."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-internet-archives-wayback-machine-is-fully-back-in-action-with-saving-pages-223736576.html?src=rss