Porsche announced their 2024 Porsche Taycan electric vehicle yesterday and now we have a video of the car in action, the video shows the Taycan in its testing phase before its official launch in a range of environments. There will be three cool versions of the Taycan – the sleek sports sedan, the adventurous Cross […]
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Apple isn't one of the top players in the AI game today, but the company's new open source AI model for image editing shows what it's capable of contributing to the space. The model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE), which uses multimodal large language models (MLLMs) to interpret text-based commands when manipulating images. In other words, the tool has the ability to edit photos based on the text the user types in. While it's not the first tool that can do so, "human instructions are sometimes too brief for current methods to capture and follow," the project's paper (PDF) reads.
The company developed MGIE with researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara. MLLMs have the power to transform simple or ambiguous text prompts into more detailed and clear instructions the photo editor itself can follow. For instance, if a user wants to edit a photo of a pepperoni pizza to "make it more healthy," MLLMs can interpret it as "add vegetable toppings" and edit the photo as such.
In addition to changing making major changes to images, MGIE can also crop, resize and rotate photos, as well as improve its brightness, contrast and color balance, all through text prompts. It can also edit specific areas of a photo and can, for instance, modify the hair, eyes and clothes of a person in it, or remove elements in the background.
As VentureBeat notes, Apple released the model through GitHub, but those interested can also try out a demo that's currently hosted on Hugging Face Spaces. Apple has yet to say whether it plans to use what it learns from this project into a tool or a feature that it can incorporate into any of its products.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-releases-an-ai-model-that-can-edit-images-based-on-text-based-commands-081646262.html?src=rss
This guide will walk you through the simple steps of creating recurring reminders on your iPhone, whether you prefer the classic app interface or the convenience of Siri. Navigating through the daily chaos and the constant stream of tasks and responsibilities can often feel overwhelming, akin to a complex balancing act where every moment counts. […]
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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is renowned for its cutting-edge technology and user-centric design. However, beyond its sleek exterior and powerful performance, lies a treasure trove of hidden features waiting to be discovered. A recent video from Sakitech has shed light on these lesser-known functionalities that promise to elevate your Galaxy S24 Ultra experience to […]
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If anything, the AirPower Mat did manage to achieve one remarkable thing – it pushed the idea of having one wireless charging solution for all of Apple’s devices. The AirPower Mat may have failed in this particular venture, but it did lead to multiple third-party manufacturers making their own version of a 3-in-1 charger. Now, INVZI is showing that there’s a way to make them even better. With a shapeshifting design and a MagSafe feature to align your phone, the INVZI MagFree Transform is easily the most impressive 3-in-1 charger I’ve seen. Use it flat like a charging mat, or swivel its halves to turn it into a charging dock. The MagFree Transform also routes more power to your devices than traditional chargers, juicing their batteries faster… and the kicker, its $39 price tag makes it a whopping $110 cheaper than the Belkin BOOST↑CHARGE
PRO 3-in-1 charger that’s available on Apple’s own website.
Designer: INVZI
Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (44% off) Hurry! Only 41 hours left.
The two simple ways to look at the MagFree Transform are as A. a flat charger that’s easy to carry, and B. a shapeshifting versatile charger that juices your iPhone, Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. Individually, those are great features. Together, however, they make a formidable combination that sets the MagFree Transform apart as a perfect pick for charging both at your table as well as on the go.
Perhaps the most noteworthy part of the MagFree Transform’s design is the swiveling detail that allows it to go from mat to stand in under a second. Relying on an angular cut and a swivel joint, the MagFree Transform gets its name from its ability to literally shapeshift between one of two formats. In the mat-shaped format, the charger lets you easily rest all your gadgets down on its horizontal surface, but swivel it into a dock and it puts your smartphone on display, allowing it to snap into place thanks to a MagSafe detail in the charging ring. Meanwhile, the AirPods and Watch charge at the back, away from your view. The MagSafe ring supports both vertical and horizontal docking methods (with the latter activating the iPhone’s StandBy always-on screen.
Convenience aside, the MagFree Transform also outputs a total of 23W across all its charging zones, helping ‘rapidly’ juice all your devices. The primary charging coil outputs 15W to charge your iPhone faster than traditional 7.5W or 10W wireless chargers, while the coil for the Apple Watch maxes out at 5W, and the AirPods coil at 3W. Sure, this doesn’t compare to the kind of fast-charging speeds offered by wired chargers, but for a sleek wireless charger, the MagFree Transform sits at the top of its ladder.
It can simultaneously charge three devices at the same time, whether in mat or standing mode. A USB-C port on the back lets you hook your MagFree Transform to any power source (like an outlet or a power bank) so you can charge anywhere, whether it’s on your workspace or at your bedside. Heck, at that $39 price point, I’d probably buy multiple units just to keep in different parts of my house. The only thing missing is a USB-C out that would allow you to connect your charger to an iPad or any other device for wired charging too. However, the MagFree Transform focuses strictly on wireless charging, which is a kind of commitment that I can respect.
The MagFree Transform supports Apple’s StandBy feature during charging.
Measuring 8 inches in length, 3.2 inches wide, and 0.59 inches thick, the MagFree Transform is just marginally bigger than a Plus/Max iPhone. It weighs a paltry 100 grams, making it incredibly easy to slip right into your bag or backpack to carry around with you, and comes in two color choices – white or black, with the ability to attach (and even swap) vegan leather veneers on top to cushion your gadgets and give the MagFree Transform a classy and distinct look.
Each MagFree Transform charger starts at a discounted $39, and also includes a 30W GaN charging brick along with a 3.3ft USB-C cable in the box. An additional $10 will either get you a soft-shell case to carry your charger and its accessories, or a set of those aforementioned vegan leather covers to customize your gadget. The MagFree Transform ships globally starting April 2024.
Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (44% off) Hurry! Only 41 hours left.
Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (44% off) Hurry! Only 41 hours left.
The post This $39 MagSafe Charger is like Apple’s AirPower Mat on performance-enhancing steroids… first appeared on Yanko Design.
Bluesky, the open source Twitter alternative, has seen a surge in new users just one day after opening its platform up to the public. The service has gained more than 850,000 users bringing its total sign-ups to just over 4 million.
The service had been in an invitation-only beta for about a year and had grown to just over 3 million users when it officially opened to the public. It currently has close to 4.1 million sign-ups, according to an online tracker. “Things are rolling over here,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber wrote in a post on X.
The surge in new users suggests that there is still ample curiosity about the Jack Dorsey-backed platform that began as an internal project at Twitter in 2019. It also indicated that Meta hasn’t entirely cornered the market for a text-based Twitter alternative. The company’s Threads app has grown to 130 million monthly users, Meta announced last week.
Graber has said that Bluesky intended to grow at a slower pace so that it could build it the platform, and the underlying protocol, without the added pressure sudden surges in growth can cause. Some of those concerns were borne out over the last day as the spike in activity led to some technical issues on the site, including problems with the app’s custom feeds and a brief outage overnight. The outage was resolved within a couple hours, according to the company.
Much of Bluesky’s future success will hinge on whether it can maintain new growth and keep the interest of all its new users. Threads also saw an initial spike in new users, only for it to drop-off before eventually rebounding.
Though Bluesky may look a bit like Threads or X, it’s a fundamentally different kind of platform and part of the growing movement for decentralized social media. Its open-source protocol functions like a “permanently open” API, according to Graber, and the site already has dozens of developers building their own experiences. Bluesky also offers more customization features for users, with features like custom algorithms and the ability to choose your own content moderation settings.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-has-added-almost-a-million-users-one-day-after-opening-to-the-public-004854186.html?src=rss
The post This Landscaped “Vertical Village” Gives Its Residents A Living Experience Among The Trees first appeared on Yanko Design.
Sleekness was never really a consideration back in the 50s and 60s when vinyl discs were still popular… which is why turntables and vinyl players never really explored thin-ness as a design aesthetic. The most any company ever did was integrate minimalism into their design language (a la Braun), but products weren’t generally designed to be razor thin. Which is why the BÖNWERK Turntable feels so visually exciting – it brings a novel design direction to an otherwise aged product category. Trends (whether fashion or tech) are always cyclical, and vinyls have been gaining popularity over the last few years… but traditional vinyl players don’t live up to the design sensibilities of today. The BÖNWERK Turntable is a gorgeous concept that boasts the same wedge-shaped design detail popularized by the MacBook Air. The rotating disc sits on a razor-thin platform, which gradually becomes thicker near the turntable’s control panel, creating an overall aesthetic that’s practically invisible, but emotionally impactful.
Designers: Mateo Rombolá & Tobias Quirici
“The primary goal of this project was to create a cutting-edge and sophisticated turntable tailored specifically for expert users in the audiophile world,” said designer-duo Mateo Rombolá and Tobias Quirici. “Our focus centered on prioritizing user semantics and experience, elevating these aspects above mere functional distinctions.”
Functionally, the BÖNWERK Turntable isn’t too different from the ones you’d otherwise find on the market. It has the tonearm with a cartridge and needle on one end, and a counterweight on the other. The tonearm sits at the center, with the rotating disc platform on one side, and a control panel on the other with a strobe light, RPM controller, volume knob, highs and lows control, and a start/stop button.
Flip the BÖNWERK Turntable over and you see its actual mass, which hides underneath a super-sleek exterior. Almost mirroring the design of the MacBook Air (or even older iPhones, which used to hide the camera bump in the side-view photos), the mass hides itself well thanks to a slick outer profile that your eyes see (instead of the volume underneath). This makes the BÖNWERK Turntable look MUCH thinner than it already is, which adds to its appeal. The appeal also extends to the minimal visual language used in the rest of the turntable’s design, from the use of plain black and metallic hues, sharp geometric shapes, knurled metal knobs, and the palpable absence of any text, giving the turntable its signature clean look.
The post Razor-thin turntable brings an uber-futuristic touch to your retro vinyl collection first appeared on Yanko Design.
On the company's quarterly earnings call today, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the previously-announced standalone ESPN streaming service will arrive by the fall of 2025. The company had already tipped the service, which Iger explained will offer "the full suite" of ESPN networks as a streaming option, but a general launch date or any additional details hadn't been revealed.
Iger said that the standalone ESPN offering will serve up the live games and studio programming that's currently available on a host of cable channels. What's more, the service will provide access to ESPN Bet and fantasy sports alongside detailed stats and shopping. Of course, all of that will also include "robust personalization," according to Iger.
These new details come a day after Disney announced it would team up with Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery on a combined sports streaming service this fall. The yet-to-be-named option will include games from NFL, MLB, NHL and the NBA via channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, FOX, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN. There's no word on pricing yet, but subscribers will be able to bundle it with their existing Disney+, Hulu, and Max subscriptions. This means that you'll actually be able to stream ESPN networks without a cable or other live TV subscription before Disney's own standalone service launches. However, the combo effort is sure to be more expensive as it mashes up all of those additional channels from Fox and Warner Brothers Discovery.
Disney already offers ESPN+ as an alternative to cable. The service makes live games available for streaming, but it doesn't provide access to action as it airs on ESPN networks. For that reason ESPN+ has been complement to the cable channels, but Disney hasn't yet said how its services will exist after fall of next year.
Standalone ESPN will also be available on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, just like the company has done with Hulu. No word on pricing for the new iteration of ESPN yet either, but there's also plenty of time for Disney to hype the service between now and fall 2025. Iger did say that the the price "would be more attractive" than the typical cable bundle.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/espns-standalone-streaming-service-will-launch-by-fall-2025-220624127.html?src=rssOne week after Microsoft laid off nearly 2,000 employees in its gaming division, the Federal Trade Commission is accusing Microsoft of contradicting its pledge to allow Activision Blizzard to operate independently post-acquisition. The FTC filed a complaint in a federal appeals court on Wednesday, arguing that last week's downsizing, which affected employees of Activision Blizzard, "contradicts Microsoft’s representations in this proceeding." The FTC is asking for a temporary pause of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard as it further investigates potential antitrust issues.
In its arguments to the FTC over the past two years, Microsoft said it would treat Activision Blizzard as a vertical acquisition and suggested that it wouldn't need to institute layoffs, since there would be no redundancies. On January 30, Microsoft announced it was cutting 1,900 jobs across Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Xbox after identifying "areas of overlap" specifically between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. This discrepancy is the core of the FTC's complaint.
"Microsoft’s recently-reported plan to eliminate 1,900 jobs in its video game division, including in its newly-acquired Activision unit, contradicts the foregoing representations it made to this Court," the FTC's complaint said. "Specifically, Microsoft reportedly has stated that the layoffs were part of an 'execution plan' that would reduce 'areas of overlap' between Microsoft and Activision, which is inconsistent with Microsoft’s suggestion to this Court that the two companies will operate independently post-merger."
Though the UK's Competition and Markets Authority approved Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October, the FTC hasn't seen satisfaction regarding its own antitrust concerns. The FTC is still challenging the acquisition, which means there's a possibility that Microsoft will be forced to divest all or part of Activision Blizzard.
In Wednesday's complaint, the FTC argued that the recent layoffs also undermine its own ability to order relief for employees who were negatively affected in the acquisition.
Microsoft's layoffs join an avalanche of mass firings in the video game industry, specifically in the past few months. An estimated 10,500 people in video games lost their jobs in 2023 — and already in 2024, 6,000 workers have been laid off.
Microsoft on Thursday filed a response to the FTC's complaint, arguing that the regulator has not provided evidence of harm resulting from the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Microsoft's letter to the federal appeals court reads, in part, "Consistent with broader trends in the gaming industry, Activision was already planning on eliminating a significant number of jobs while still operating as an independent company. The recent announcement thus cannot be attributed fully to the merger."
A Microsoft spokesperson also provided Engadget the following statement: "In continuing its opposition to the deal, the FTC ignores the reality that the deal itself has substantially changed. Since the FTC lost in court last July, Microsoft was required by the UK competition authority to restructure the acquisition globally and therefore did not acquire the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard games in the United States. Additionally, Sony and Microsoft signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation on even better terms than Sony had before."
Update, February 8 2024, 12:30PM ET: This story was updated to include Microsoft's response to the FTC complaint.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-accuses-microsoft-of-misrepresenting-its-activision-blizzard-plans-after-layoffs-215502314.html?src=rss