Author Archives: Mat Smith

The Morning After: Apple launches its long-awaited Journal app

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Apple is now rolling out iOS 17.2 to all compatible devices, as well as iPadOS 17.2 and macOS 14.2 Sonoma. The biggest addition in all those is the introduction, finally, of the long-teased Journal app.

Journal differs from third-party apps like Day One by offering journaling suggestions based on your iPhone activity. That can range from photos taken through to locations reached on maps or even what you’re listening to. Your device might also suggest creating a journal entry after things like workouts or a finished podcast episode. Apple’s hope with the app is to help “iPhone users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling.” So, thank you, Apple, for the iOS update.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

The best white elephant gift ideas

Beeper Mini is back, promising iMessage access on Android if you sign in with an Apple ID

How a social engineering hack turned these Facebook pages into a dumping ground for spam

The best fast chargers

Apple tvOS 17.2 has a redesigned TV experience and no iTunes Movies or TV Shows apps

TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design has shut down

The best iPad for you

How to pick the best from a confusing lineup.

TMA
Engadget

Just in time for that OS update. Between the 10th-generation iPad, the iPad Air and the M2 iPad Pro, Apple sells three tablets with roughly 11-inch screens and broadly similar designs, but there are key differences in internal components and accessory support. We can, though, pick a certain iPad that’s best for most of you.

One warning: Apple will likely introduce new iPads early next year. The company did not release any new tablets in 2023, but Bloomberg reports Apple plans to update its entire lineup throughout 2024.

Continue reading.

The ultra-customizable Arc browser is now available on Windows in beta

Invites have already started going out to Windows users from the waitlist.

Arc, a formerly Mac-only internet browser from The Browser Company, is coming to Windows. In a post on X, the company today announced its first Windows beta invites are already hitting inboxes. Its unique features include the ability to customize (or vandalize) any website. There’s also a sidebar for your bookmarks and tabs. It’s still a work in progress: We know features like Peek (which lets you preview a link before opening it in its own tab) and Little Arc (a lightweight browser window meant for quickly viewing something) are currently being ported across.

Continue reading.

How to get a refund for The Day Before, the game canned in just four days

The studio’s sudden closure remains suspicious.

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The Day Before

The Day Before was a much-hyped (much-delayed) zombie shooter game that launched on Steam on December 7, only to be widely criticized for failing to deliver an MMO (massively multiplayer online) experience as advertised — not to mention the bugs and severe lack of originality. Four days later, Fntastic, the studio behind this controversial title, abruptly announced its closure as the $40 game “has failed financially,” despite having apparently sold over 200,000 copies before refunds. Fortunately, Steam offers a two-week refund window, so long as the game has only been played for less than two hours. Give that a try.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-launches-its-long-awaited-journal-app-121550393.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple launches its long-awaited Journal app

Posted on by

Apple is now rolling out iOS 17.2 to all compatible devices, as well as iPadOS 17.2 and macOS 14.2 Sonoma. The biggest addition in all those is the introduction, finally, of the long-teased Journal app.

Journal differs from third-party apps like Day One by offering journaling suggestions based on your iPhone activity. That can range from photos taken through to locations reached on maps or even what you’re listening to. Your device might also suggest creating a journal entry after things like workouts or a finished podcast episode. Apple’s hope with the app is to help “iPhone users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling.” So, thank you, Apple, for the iOS update.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

The best white elephant gift ideas

Beeper Mini is back, promising iMessage access on Android if you sign in with an Apple ID

How a social engineering hack turned these Facebook pages into a dumping ground for spam

The best fast chargers

Apple tvOS 17.2 has a redesigned TV experience and no iTunes Movies or TV Shows apps

TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design has shut down

The best iPad for you

How to pick the best from a confusing lineup.

TMA
Engadget

Just in time for that OS update. Between the 10th-generation iPad, the iPad Air and the M2 iPad Pro, Apple sells three tablets with roughly 11-inch screens and broadly similar designs, but there are key differences in internal components and accessory support. We can, though, pick a certain iPad that’s best for most of you.

One warning: Apple will likely introduce new iPads early next year. The company did not release any new tablets in 2023, but Bloomberg reports Apple plans to update its entire lineup throughout 2024.

Continue reading.

The ultra-customizable Arc browser is now available on Windows in beta

Invites have already started going out to Windows users from the waitlist.

Arc, a formerly Mac-only internet browser from The Browser Company, is coming to Windows. In a post on X, the company today announced its first Windows beta invites are already hitting inboxes. Its unique features include the ability to customize (or vandalize) any website. There’s also a sidebar for your bookmarks and tabs. It’s still a work in progress: We know features like Peek (which lets you preview a link before opening it in its own tab) and Little Arc (a lightweight browser window meant for quickly viewing something) are currently being ported across.

Continue reading.

How to get a refund for The Day Before, the game canned in just four days

The studio’s sudden closure remains suspicious.

TMA
The Day Before

The Day Before was a much-hyped (much-delayed) zombie shooter game that launched on Steam on December 7, only to be widely criticized for failing to deliver an MMO (massively multiplayer online) experience as advertised — not to mention the bugs and severe lack of originality. Four days later, Fntastic, the studio behind this controversial title, abruptly announced its closure as the $40 game “has failed financially,” despite having apparently sold over 200,000 copies before refunds. Fortunately, Steam offers a two-week refund window, so long as the game has only been played for less than two hours. Give that a try.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-launches-its-long-awaited-journal-app-121550393.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple may launch an M3 MacBook Air in March

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning big hardware announcements for early 2024. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman predicts the company will release the next iPad Pro and iPad Air generation in March. Gurman says the M3 MacBook Air will also likely come in March, in the usual 13- and 15-inch configurations. And Apple may kill off the 2020 M1 MacBook Air at that point too.

The company is also reportedly planning to make more apparent distinctions between its iPad families. The iPad Pro is expected to get Apple’s new M3 chip, an OLED display and come in two sizes: 11 and 13 inches. Meanwhile, the iPad Air will come in a 10.9-inch and a new 12.9-inch version and use the M2 chip.

If you’re waiting for a new Mac Studio and Mac Pro, those will land later.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Offworld ‘company towns’ are the wrong way to settle the solar system

The EU has reached a historic regulatory agreement over AI development

The FTC is reportedly looking into Microsoft’s $13 billion OpenAI investment

Threads countdown hints at EU launch on December 14

Researchers made VR goggles for mice

For science, not a bet.

TMA
Dom Pinke/ Northwestern University

Scientists have been using virtual reality setups to study brain activity in lab mice for years. In the past, they surrounded the mice with flat displays, with obvious limitations for simulating a realistic environment. Now, a team at Northwestern University developed tiny VR goggles to fit over a mouse’s face. Like you see above.

In their tests, the researchers say the mice appeared to take to the new VR environment more quickly than they did with the past setups. To recreate overhead threats, like birds swooping in for a meal, the team projected expanding dark spots at the tops of the displays. The way they react to threats “is not a learned behavior; it’s an imprinted behavior,” said co-first author Dom Pinke.

Continue reading.

Alex Jones and his conspiracy theories are back on X

Jones’ account was reinstated after users voted in a poll this weekend.

Alex Jones is back on X, five years after then-Twitter decided to permanently ban him and his show, Infowars, for violating the site’s policy on “abusive behavior.” Elon Musk created a poll on X over the weekend asking users to vote on whether to reinstate Jones. Jones won the vote.

Musk wrote, “I vehemently disagree with what he said about Sandy Hook, but are we a platform that believes in freedom of speech or are we not? That is what it comes down to in the end. If the people vote him back on, this will be bad for X financially, but principles matter more than money.” Principles? On X?

Continue reading.

Fortnite Festival tries to bring back the heyday of music gaming

It helps that it’s free.

TMA
Epic Games

Epic has launched an entirely new mode called Fortnite Festival, a social space where players can team up to perform their favorite songs or jam together on new mixes, all within Fortnite. The main stage, or championship stage, is basically the Rock Band experience recreated in Fortnite. You form a band with friends and choose a song to perform. Then you play the song using the standard music game format where notes slide down vertical bars, hitting the correct button when the note reaches the bottom. Meanwhile, the jam stage draws from Harmonix’s more recent (and less popular) mixing titles, Dropmix and Fuser.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-may-launch-an-m3-macbook-air-in-march-121532447.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple may launch an M3 MacBook Air in March

Posted on by

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning big hardware announcements for early 2024. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman predicts the company will release the next iPad Pro and iPad Air generation in March. Gurman says the M3 MacBook Air will also likely come in March, in the usual 13- and 15-inch configurations. And Apple may kill off the 2020 M1 MacBook Air at that point too.

The company is also reportedly planning to make more apparent distinctions between its iPad families. The iPad Pro is expected to get Apple’s new M3 chip, an OLED display and come in two sizes: 11 and 13 inches. Meanwhile, the iPad Air will come in a 10.9-inch and a new 12.9-inch version and use the M2 chip.

If you’re waiting for a new Mac Studio and Mac Pro, those will land later.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Offworld ‘company towns’ are the wrong way to settle the solar system

The EU has reached a historic regulatory agreement over AI development

The FTC is reportedly looking into Microsoft’s $13 billion OpenAI investment

Threads countdown hints at EU launch on December 14

Researchers made VR goggles for mice

For science, not a bet.

TMA
Dom Pinke/ Northwestern University

Scientists have been using virtual reality setups to study brain activity in lab mice for years. In the past, they surrounded the mice with flat displays, with obvious limitations for simulating a realistic environment. Now, a team at Northwestern University developed tiny VR goggles to fit over a mouse’s face. Like you see above.

In their tests, the researchers say the mice appeared to take to the new VR environment more quickly than they did with the past setups. To recreate overhead threats, like birds swooping in for a meal, the team projected expanding dark spots at the tops of the displays. The way they react to threats “is not a learned behavior; it’s an imprinted behavior,” said co-first author Dom Pinke.

Continue reading.

Alex Jones and his conspiracy theories are back on X

Jones’ account was reinstated after users voted in a poll this weekend.

Alex Jones is back on X, five years after then-Twitter decided to permanently ban him and his show, Infowars, for violating the site’s policy on “abusive behavior.” Elon Musk created a poll on X over the weekend asking users to vote on whether to reinstate Jones. Jones won the vote.

Musk wrote, “I vehemently disagree with what he said about Sandy Hook, but are we a platform that believes in freedom of speech or are we not? That is what it comes down to in the end. If the people vote him back on, this will be bad for X financially, but principles matter more than money.” Principles? On X?

Continue reading.

Fortnite Festival tries to bring back the heyday of music gaming

It helps that it’s free.

TMA
Epic Games

Epic has launched an entirely new mode called Fortnite Festival, a social space where players can team up to perform their favorite songs or jam together on new mixes, all within Fortnite. The main stage, or championship stage, is basically the Rock Band experience recreated in Fortnite. You form a band with friends and choose a song to perform. Then you play the song using the standard music game format where notes slide down vertical bars, hitting the correct button when the note reaches the bottom. Meanwhile, the jam stage draws from Harmonix’s more recent (and less popular) mixing titles, Dropmix and Fuser.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-may-launch-an-m3-macbook-air-in-march-121532447.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Battle of the chatbots, part two

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Good morning. Do you want this customized PS5? You'll have to work the sunset years of your career at Sony then. That is, apparently, the only way. I'm also taking bets on which chatbot will be the chatbot we all depend on. It's like Yahoo (our parent company) or Google or Facebook. Who's going to get there first? This week's YouTube-coated cry for help features two of the biggest chatbot competitors, Google and Microsoft. And some Engadget editorial team in-fighting. 

This week:

Google’s Gemini is the biggest threat yet to ChatGPT

Microsoft upgrades its chatbot, too

Lenovo’s huge handheld PC is here

And read this:

Researchers have made an under-the-skin implant to treat Type 1 diabetes. The new implantable device could change the way Type 1 diabetics receive insulin without the need for needles or pumps. A thread-like implant is an “islet device” derived from the cells that produce insulin in our bodies naturally. This secretes insulin through islet cells that form around it, while also receiving nutrients and oxygen from blood vessels to stay alive.

However, the devices eventually need to be removed, so researchers are still working to extend their longevity before testing the devices, eventually, in patients. No sassy quip here – just pretty cool news?  

Like email more than video? Subscribe right here for daily reports, direct to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-battle-of-the-chatbots-part-two-140059376.html?src=rss

The Morning After: A PS1-themed PlayStation 5

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This one-of-a-kind PS5 console was customized with the PS1’s retro gray finish, and classic quad-color PS logo. Even the DualSense controller was given a late-90s makeover, with a cute plug cover for the PS5’s front USB-C port to mimic the first-ever PlayStation’s controller.

No, this won’t go on sale. It’s a farewell gift for SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment) President and CEO Jim Ryan, who is retiring in March 2024. At a thank-you party this week, the outgoing PlayStation boss was honored by many industry legends, including the “father of PlayStation” Ken Kutaragi, Gran Turismo’s Kazunori Yamauchi, Team Asobi’s Nicolas Doucet and, of course, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida.

It was a gaming-heavy 24 hours, actually. This year’s Game Awards barraged us with new trailers and game news. Surprise, free DLC, an RPG set on an entirely procedurally generated world and a... Blade game?

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Sega is resurrecting its classics including Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi and Golden Axe

Hideo Kojima’s Xbox game is the cinematic horrorfest OD

Here’s how to move your subscriptions off Google Podcasts before it shuts down

Meta’s Threads is getting searchable hashtags that aren’t quite hashtags

The company is trying to prevent “engagement hacking.”

Meta’s latest update for Threads brings the long-awaited ability to search for topics, with tags. Although the feature is under the familiar # symbol, Threads’ tags are slightly different to hashtags. Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained Threads tags can contain spaces and special characters, and can only use a single tag per post, so choose wisely.

Continue reading.

The makers of No Man’s Sky will simulate a whole planet for Light No Fire

Hello Games’ new title is an Earth-sized multiplayer RPG sandbox.

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TGA

UK indie studio Hello Games has announced its next game, Light No Fire, which will bring the procedural generation of No Man’s Sky to an entire planet on an incredibly detailed scale. It will combine open-world exploration with multiplayer community building, set on a planet the size of Earth, apparently. Light No Fire has been in development for five years by about a dozen developers at Hello Games, but there’s no release window yet.

Continue reading.

Google admits it staged a Gemini AI demo video

There was no voice interaction, nor did the demo happen in real time

TMA
Google

As Google scales up its AI battle with OpenAI and ChatGPT, the company has now admitted one demo, shown in the video “Hands-on with Gemini: Interacting with multimodal AI,” was edited to speed up the results. The interactions, too, weren’t based on voice but text input.

The demo used “still image frames from the footage and prompting via text,” rather than having Gemini respond to — or even predict — a drawing or change of objects on the table in real time. It’s all a little less impressive and comes when Google’s most cutting-edge AI models don’t differ hugely from OpenAI’s latest GPT tricks.

Continue reading.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Xbox Series X/S

The official Game of the Year is finally on Microsoft consoles.

Developer and publisher Larian Studios had pledged to release the Xbox version of this year’s Game of the Year by… the end of the year and said it would reveal the exact date at The Game Awards. True to its word, Larian announced the Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3 is out right now.

The delay was due to a technical problem with the Series S, and the inability to make the game’s split-screen feature on the lower-powered console. However, Larian said it had a solution to support split-screen on Series X, but not Series S, and had permission to do so from Xbox bosses.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-a-ps1-themed-playstation-5-121506223.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Google’s Gemini is the company’s answer to ChatGPT

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Google officially introduced its most capable large language model to date, Gemini. CEO Sundar Pichai said it’s the first of “a new generation of AI models, inspired by the way people understand and interact with the world.” Of course, it’s all very complex, but Google’s multimillion-dollar investment in AI has created a model more flexible than anything before it. Let’s break it down.

The system has been developed from the ground up as an integrated multimodal AI. As Engadget’s Andrew Tarantola puts it, “think of many foundational AI models as groups of smaller models all stacked together.” Gemini is trained to seamlessly understand and reason on all kinds of inputs, and this should make it pretty capable in the face of complex coding requests and even physics problems.

TMA
Google

Gemini is being ‘made’ into three sizes: Nano, Pro and Ultra. Nano is on-device, and Pro will fold into Google’s chatbot, Bard. The improved Bard chatbot will be available in the same 170 countries and territories as the existing service. Gemini Pro apparently outscored the earlier model, which initially powered ChatGPT, called GPT-3.5, on six of eight AI benchmarks. However, there are no comparisons yet between OpenAI’s dominant chatbot running on GPT-4 and this new challenger.

Meanwhile, Gemini Ultra, which won’t be available until at least 2024, scored higher than any other model, including GPT-4 on some benchmark tests. However, this Ultra flavor reportedly requires additional testing before being cleared for release to “select customers, developers, partners and safety and responsibility experts” for further testing and feedback.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

A new report says ‘the world is on a disastrous trajectory,’ due to climate change

Google’s Gemini AI is coming to Android

The best travel gifts

How to use Personal Voice on iPhone with iOS 17

Half of London’s famous black cab fleet are now EVs

AMD’s Ryzen 8040 chips remind Intel it’s falling behind in AI PCs

Could MEMS be the next big leap in headphone technology?

The first affordable headphones with MEMS drivers have arrived

Creative’s Aurvana Ace line brings new speaker technology to the mainstream.

TMA
Engadget

The headphone industry isn’t known for its rapid evolution, which makes the arrival of the Creative’s Aurvana Ace headphones — the first wireless buds with MEMS drivers — notable. MEMS-based headphones need a small amount of “bias” power to work and while Singularity used a dedicated DAC with a specific xMEMS “mode,” Creative uses an amp “chip” that demonstrates, for the first time, consumer MEMS headphones in a wireless configuration. If MEMS is to catch on, it has to be compatible with true wireless headphones.

Continue reading.

Apple and Google are probably spying on your push notifications

But the DOJ won’t let them fess up.

Foreign governments likely spy on your smartphone use, and now Senator Ron Wyden’s office is pushing for Apple and Google to reveal how exactly that works. Push notifications, the dings you get from apps calling your attention back to your phone, may be handed over from a company to government services if asked.

“Because Apple and Google deliver push notification data, they can be secretly compelled by governments to hand over this information,” Wyden wrote in the letter on Wednesday.

Apple claims it was suppressed from coming clean about this process, which is why Wyden’s letter specifically targets the Department of Justice. “In this case, the federal government prohibited us from sharing any information, and now this method has become public, we are updating our transparency reporting to detail these kinds of request,” Apple said in a statement to Engadget. Meanwhile, Google said it shared “the Senator’s commitment to keeping users informed about these requests.”

Continue reading.

Researchers develop under-the-skin implant to treat Type 1 diabetes

The device can secrete insulin to cells.

Scientists have developed a new implantable device that could change the way Type 1 diabetics receive insulin. The thread-like implant, or SHEATH (Subcutaneous Host-Enabled Alginate THread), is installed in a two-step process, which ultimately leads to the deployment of “islet devices,” derived from the cells that produce insulin in our bodies naturally. A 10-centimeter-long islet device secretes insulin through islet cells that form around it, while also receiving nutrients and oxygen from blood vessels to stay alive. Because the islet devices eventually need to be removed, the researchers are still working on ways to maximize the exchange of nutrients and oxygen in large-animal models — and eventually patients.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-googles-gemini-is-the-companys-answer-to-chatgpt-121531424.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Microsoft upgrades its Copilot chatbot

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Microsoft says its Copilot AI chatbot is integrating with OpenAI’s latest GPT model and the image generator DALL-E 3, among other upgrades. GPT-4 Turbo integration will help Copilot users tackle even more complex tasks. While the last generation allowed for up to 50 pages of text as a data input, GPT-4 Turbo accepts up to 300 pages, which should make for more meaningful (and accurate, I hope) responses to queries. The newest DALL-E 3 image generation model should generate higher-quality images, with better accuracy for your prompts.

Beyond the OpenAI collaborations, Copilot’s Inline Compose tool now includes a rewrite menu, so you can select a block of text (in Edge) and get a bot-edited version. Code Interpreter will apparently help users perform complex tasks like “data analysis, visualization, math” and plain old coding.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Beeper says it reverse-engineered iMessage into an Android app

Apple reportedly wants India to exempt older iPhones from USB-C charging rules

This is my favorite smartphone tripod

23andMe hack now estimated to affect over half of customers

Super Nintendo World Japan’s Donkey Kong Country area opens next spring

Lenovo Legion Go review

When the Steam Deck feels small.

TMA
Engadget

Lenovo is putting its spin on the handheld gaming PC category with the Legion Go. It combines high-level performance with an 8.8-inch OLED display and with some design traits from the Nintendo Switch. The result is a powerful, though somewhat bulky, $700 gaming machine. It has a big 49.2Wh battery, which lasts between an hour and a half and three hours, depending on your power settings. But boy, is it big.

Continue reading.

Fiat’s tiny electric car is coming to the US in early 2024

The Fiat 500e will start at $32,500.

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Fiat

Fiat will soon start selling the 500e hatchback EV stateside in 2024 for $32,500 ($34,095, including the destination fee). It hasn’t been available in the US since 2019, but the latest model is a big update with more range, a nicer interior, better tech and more. The 500e is tiny by EV standards, particularly in the weight department. It puts just 3,000 pounds on the pavement, making it what the manufacturer calls “the lightest passenger BEV in the segment.” Still, it’s more expensive than Tesla’s Model 3 after federal tax credits.

Continue reading.

Pixar’s Disney+ pandemic movies are hitting theaters

You can catch Soul, Turning Red and Luca in cinemas in early 2024.

Many major movies skipped US theaters and went straight to streaming services. Pixar somehow released three titles: Soul, Luca and Turning Red, all of which debuted on Disney+. In 2024, though, you’ll get the chance to see those animated films on the big screen. Soul will get a theatrical release on January 12, Turning Red will hit cinemas on February 9 and Luca launches on March 22.

Continue reading.

Let AI Jimmy Stewart put you to sleep with a new Calm bedtime story

It’s a computer-generated version of the late actor’s voice.

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Calm

The mindfulness app Calm, already known for its Sleep Stories read by celebrities, including Harry Styles and Idris Elba, has digitally revived Jimmy Stewart’s iconic voice to ‘read’ “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story” for its Premium subscribers. Tina Xavie, chief marketing officer of CMG Worldwide (the company that manages Stewart’s estate) said that makes this AI recreation a great fit for Calm’s bedtime series — the project received the green light from both Stewart’s family and his estate.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-microsoft-upgrades-its-copilot-chatbot-121515889.html?src=rss

This is my favorite smartphone tripod

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As smartphone capabilities continue to close in on standalone cameras, I’ve been using my phone a lot more for shooting video. However, the best shots demand a tripod, and carrying one of those defeats the point of using my phone instead of dragging a camera around.

Peak Design’s stealthy little phone tripod fixes that. I’ve already praised it in our updated guide to the best iPhone cases, but I like it even more a few weeks later. If you’re a fan of their camera bags (or their floaty light carbon-fiber tripod, like me), you know what to expect from Peak Design: stylish, considerate design, careful material choice and a spendy price tag.

This aluminum tripod folds down to a credit-card-sized profile, a little thicker than Apple’s MagSafe wallets. With a solid micro-ball head, you can adjust the angle of your phone while it’s in tripod mode. Better still, it can firmly attach magnetically to the phone in both vertical and horizontal orientations.

The tripod works best (that is, attaches most solidly) with Peak Design’s smartphone cases, which have launched in a new array of colors for the iPhone 15 series. However, if you have a MagSafe-capable iPhone (from the iPhone 12 onwards) or case, you can still attach this tripod, whether folded away, but it seems a little weaker.

Peak Design also has cases for the latest Pixel 8 phones, meaning, gasp, an accessory I could use for my favorite phones this year. (It also has a Samsung case series and a universal adapter that adheres to the back of any phone.)

There are many things to like, but the main draw is that I can keep it attached to my phone and in my pocket, which means I’ve ditched my GorillaPod tripod. Unlike other foldable phone stands, the micro-ball head means I can adjust the angle and positioning. Peak Design’s attention to detail is… something. The company included a tiny hex key built into the tripod legs for tightening the ball head. The key magnetically locks in place, so there’s no fear of losing it.

Peak Design Phone Tripod
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

It can also magnetically attach to your phone in vertical and horizontal orientations, making it an excellent stand even when you’re not trying to shoot video or photos propped up on your desk. If you’re desperate, you can use the tripod legs as a short selfie grip.

The only drawback is the price, especially if you compare this to MagSafe phone stands from Moft and Anker. However, these only prop up your iPhone – I wouldn’t call them tripods. Also, if you want to ensure this tripod is securely attached, I’d recommend spending more on a Peak Design case, too. But compared to other smartphone cases and peripheral kits, I appreciate that you don’t have to buy the companion case – and the tripod seems solid enough to last until your next smartphone purchase in a few years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-is-my-favorite-smartphone-tripod-140057093.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The first trailer for GTA 6 has landed

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A day earlier than teased, Rockstar has released the first official trailer of Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment in arguably the biggest AAA game series. As indicated by a recent teaser image, GTA VI will be set in Leonida, Rockstar’s take on Florida, and largely centered on Vice City, the series’ stand in for Miami. Unlike GTA: Vice City’s ’80s flavor, it’s a contemporary world.

The game will have a playable female character for the first time in the modern incarnation of the franchise, and we get swampy areas, inspired by Florida’s National Park, and almost as swampy strip clubs. It is GTA, after all. The game will launch in 2025. Take a look right here.

— Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Toyota unveils two EV crossover concepts arriving by 2025

Microsoft’s Seeing AI app for low-vision and blind users comes to Android

WhatsApp now lets you share photos and videos in their original quality

Verizon subscribers can get Netflix and Max for $10 a month

Meta is disconnecting Messenger and Instagram chat

Fitness app Strava finally lets users message each other

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 review

Maybe the only vlogging camera you need.

TMA
Engadget

It’s a bit niche: a standalone gimbal camera from a company you’ve heard of. DJI’s Osmo Pocket line isn’t for everyone, but the company continues to evolve and hone these portable cameras. Three years after the Pocket 2, the Osmo Pocket 3 has some big improvements, including a large 1-inch sensor that improves image quality significantly, especially in low light. There’s also a bigger screen that flips sideways, plus advanced subject tracking. However, in true 2023 style, it’s more expensive than its predecessor.

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ChatGPT says asking it to repeat words forever violates its terms

The chatbot could reveal personal information when asked to repeat words.

Last week, a team of researchers published a paper showing it could get ChatGPT to inadvertently reveal bits of data, including people’s phone numbers, email addresses and dates of birth it was trained on by asking it to repeat words “forever.” Doing this now is a violation of ChatGPT’s terms of service, according to a report in 404 Media and Engadget’s own testing. There’s no language in OpenAI’s content policy, however, that prohibits users from asking the service to repeat words forever. Under Terms of Use, OpenAI states users may not “use any automated or programmatic method to extract data or output from the Services” — but simply prompting the ChatGPT to repeat word forever is not automation or programmatic.

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The cheapest Tesla car won’t qualify for full federal tax credit from January 1

The rear-wheel-drive Model 3 will only receive half the credit.

Tesla has now announced that two of its models won’t qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit as of January 1, 2024. As our sister site TechCrunch pointed out, Tesla’s website currently has a top banner claiming tax credit “reductions likely for certain vehicles in 2024,” urging customers to “take delivery by 12/31” to qualify for the full claim.

According to the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) rules, vehicles using battery components 50 percent made or assembled in the US qualify for the first half of the tax credit (i.e., $3,750). The cars can only get the remaining half of the credit if their manufacturer sources at least 40 percent of their critical minerals in the US or its free trade partners. China isn’t one of those partners.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-first-trailer-for-gta-6-has-landed-121543240.html?src=rss