Monthly Archives: September 2024

DraftKings gets slapped with fine for online slots that paid zilch

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DraftKings and White Hat Gaming must pay the state of Connecticut a total of $22,500 in fines after its online slot machine failed to issue players a win for a whole week. NBC News reported that the state’s Department of Consumer Protection uncovered the non-paying slot machine and issued the fines.

The sports betting and gambling website received a $19,000 fine and White Hat Gaming received a $3,500 fine. The website promised its players that its Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza online slot machine would pay out 95 cents for every dollar it took from players. However, a Department of Consumer Protections report found that the slot machine didn’t pay out one red cent from August 15-21 last year. A total of 522 players put almost $24,000 into the machine for more than 20,569 spins during the period the machine refused to pay out any winnings.

An improperly loaded file caused the machine to glitch and refuse to let players win the advertised amount. Once the faulty file was located and identified as the cause of the glitch, DraftKings and White Hat Gaming relaunched the game on August 22, 2023.

The report also found that DraftKings and White Hat Gaming did not disclose the faulty machine to state officials until the Consumer Protections department requested the information last year. One player told the gaming website that they played “a couple hundred spins” at 20 cents per spin and the machine never paid out a “single winning spin or partial win,” according to the report. DraftKings officials responded to several complaints with messages like “I understand it can be frustrating to have a bit of a cold streak, but I can assure you there is nothing wrong with the game itself.”

The slot machine continued to withhold its winnings for another week until White Hat Gaming identified the glitch and repaired the software a second time. White Hat also says in the state’s report that all customers received refunds “without any notification from DraftKings,” according to the report.

A spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection also told NBC News that White Hat Gaming “responded swiftly” to investigators’ inquiries. However, DraftKings’ response “was not satisfactory” hence the higher fine.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/draftkings-gets-slapped-with-fine-for-online-slots-that-paid-zilch-222651632.html?src=rss

The X TV app is out now and yes, it really sucks

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X has entered the streaming wars, sort of. Owner Elon Musk announced that the X TV app — teased earlier this year — is available now for some Amazon Fire TVs, Google TVs and some LG panels.

If your TV doesn’t fit into one of those categories, don’t fret. You’re not missing anything.

The short teaser video included in the beta app announcement shows what appears to be the Google version of the app with a typical looking streaming video interface. There are rows of links to videos for the very small number of original shows on the platform like right-wing dog whistler Tucker Carlson and accounts for SpaceX and Tesla. However, the actual app (or at least the version for Amazon Fire TVs) looks nothing like the video and offers even less in terms of content.

Currently, the X TV app is just a video delivery system for the X app. You’ll need an X account to log in and it just sends you to a curated list of X videos that are already on the platform. However, what appear to be the default recommendations are truly hideous to anyone not of the same political mind as Musk.

The X TV app offers some truly horrible recommendations for videos.
Danny Gallagher

I used a burner account that wasn't following many users, and the videos the X TV app offered me on first viewing includes a Megyn Kelly video accusing Tim Walz of committing “stolen valor,” a report from right-wing social media influencer Andy Ngo and Carlson’s fawning interview with historian Darryl Cooper who performs some revisionist history by calling Winston Churchill “the chief villain of the Second World War.”

X TV's video library is reflective of its users; after years of skewing liberal, its most active userbase is now conservative fans ready for whatever red meat X dangles over them. The videos on show may entertain those users, and Musk’s fan club may fawn over finally having a streaming app on smart TVs, but even if you’re in that demo, it’s a disappointingly barebones app compared to rivals like Rumble. 

So far, X's efforts to attract top-tier talent have been rocky, at best. While Khloé Kardashian announced a video podcast deal on X earlier this year, Musk bungled the launch of Don Lemon's planned show so badly that Lemon is suing him. Other participants in X's video plans include the WWE and sports commentator Jim Rome, not to mention Tucker Carlson friend and deplorable human being Tulsi Gabbard. 

If for some reason you still want to try this mess out, Musk tweeted earlier today that X "will soon be available on all home TV screens." Not exactly the most detailed proclamation, but when has he ever mislead people before? So while compatible devices are limited at the moment, we're sure it'll be more widely available before long.

Update: September 4, 2024, 3:45PM ET: This story has been updated with more details on celebrities using X video as well as details on when X TV might come to more devices. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-x-tv-app-is-out-now-and-yes-it-really-sucks-204931559.html?src=rss

Konstantin Chaykin’s ThinKing is ultra-thin mechanical wristwatch that shatters slimness record by 5mm

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Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC – measuring only 1.7mm thick – was the thinnest watch we’d known. Now, ThinKing has skimmed the stakes further down to 1.65mm, and a new thinnest watch is born. Before you start searching for retail stores, the ThinKing by Independent Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin is only a prototype and is waiting to break the production mold.

Richard Mille, Piaget, Bulgari, have all been in the race to build the thinnest mechanical watch. All these watchmakers, and now Konstantin Chaykin included, are radically reducing the thickness of watches and delivering the thinnest watches, one after the other. Aptly called ThinKing being the latest wonder, which is build after the fascination with the ultra-thin Bagnolet pocket watch.

Designer: Konstantin Chaykin

Taking cues from the old pocket watch and integrating an impressive, contemporary design with modern technology, the ThinKing borrows its aesthetics from Konstantine Chaykin’s signature Wristmons mechanical wristwatch. Currently in pre-production, there isn’t much known about the watch, but from how it appears, in pictures, we will try and decipher the obvious about this stainless steel case watch.

More details about the pricing and availability of this new thinnest watch in the world will be known after its first outing at the ongoing Geneva Watch Days exhibition. Until then from the obvious, the watch has a thickness of only 1.65mm and has a dial reminiscent of the Wristmons collection’s Joker series, where the apparent two eyes (on the top half) display hours and minutes, while the bottom half is occupied by the brand logo, which replaces the joker’s smile in the original Wristmons.

If you thought the dial was intriguing, don’t miss the caseback. The back displays the built-in K.23-0 movement (with 32 hours of power reserve) without letting out too much, while the major part here is opaque and engraved with “Prototype of the world’s thinnest watch by K. Chaykin — 30.08.2024,” which would ideally translate into an exclusivity number when the watch is ready for retail.

The post Konstantin Chaykin’s ThinKing is ultra-thin mechanical wristwatch that shatters slimness record by 5mm first appeared on Yanko Design.

World’s Largest Soccer Stadium Is Set To Be Built In Morocco For The 2030 FIFA World Cup

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Architects Oualalou + Choi and stadium experts Populous teamed up to design a truly mindblowing new stadium that will resemble a massive tent. Dubbed the Grand Stade Hassan II, the extraordinary stadium will be built near Casablanca, Morocco, and will be deemed the largest stadium in the world! The Grand Stade Hassan II is being constructed since Morocco will be share hosting the upcoming 2030 FIFA World Cup with Portugal and Spain. The stadium is inspired by a traditional Moroccan gathering called Moussem.

Designer: Oualalou + Choi and Populous

The stadium will be able to hold 115,000 people, proudly making it the largest capacity soccer stadium in the world. It will be larger than the capacity of the current largest sports stadium in the US, which can hold around 107,601 sports fans. The stadium will feature a tent-like form, amped by an aluminum lattice exterior which will offer shade to the visitors, and facilitate ventilation. The landscaping will be highly focused upon, and it will include a ring of 32 stairways functioning as gateways with greenery on the raised platforms. The stadium will include botanical gardens as well and will be home to two local soccer clubs.

“The Grand Stade Hassan II is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture, with its traditions and contemporary expressions,” said Tarik Oualalou, Design Principal and founding partner at Oualalou + Choi and Lead Architect for the project. “It is rooted in ancient and primordial figures: the Moussem, the tent, and the garden, as well as the topography and landscapes of Morocco. It’s a generous space, open to the world and respectful to the nature it protects. The Grand Stade Hassan II de Casablanca is the embodiment of the great tradition of Moroccan hospitality.”

The construction prep has started on a 100-hectare site in El Mansouria, near Casablanca. We are unsure when the stadium will be completed, but it should be done by 2030.

The post World’s Largest Soccer Stadium Is Set To Be Built In Morocco For The 2030 FIFA World Cup first appeared on Yanko Design.

Copilot+ features are coming in November to AI PCs powered by Intel and AMD’s latest chips

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Qualcomm’s exclusivity period on Copilot+ PCs is winding down. Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that Intel’s new 200V processors and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series chips will add Copilot+ AI capabilities beginning in November.

Copilot+ PCs include features like Live Captions (real-time subtitle generation, including translations), Cocreator in Paint (prompt-based image generation), Windows Studio Effects image editing (background blurring, eye contact adjustment and auto-framing) and AI tools in Photos. Of particular interest to gamers is Auto Super Resolution, an Nvidia DLSS competitor that upscales graphical resolution and refresh rates in real time without stunting performance.

The AI PCs will also eventually include Recall, Microsoft’s searchable timeline of PC activity. This feature was delayed to enhance security after an initial blowback. (Who’d have thought a history of everything you do on your PC might need to be locked down as tightly as possible?) The company said the revised Recall would start rolling out to beta testers in October.

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Intel

Intel’s 200V series processors, revealed today, include a powerful neural processing unit (NPU) that supports up to 48 TOPS (tera operations per second) for locally processed AI models and tools. With up to 32GB of onboard memory, the 200V is “the most efficient x86 processor ever,” according to Intel, with 50 percent lower on-package power consumption.

Microsoft’s Windows and devices lead, Pavan Davuluri, confirmed that Intel’s new chips will support Copilot+. “All designs featuring Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors and running the latest version of Windows are eligible to receive Copilot+ PC features as a free update starting in November,” Davuluri said onstage at Intel’s IFA launch event in Germany.

Meanwhile, according to a Windows blog post, AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series chips, revealed earlier this summer, will also receive Copilot+ features in November. The NPUs in AMD’s chips can reach up to 50 TOPS for AI performance and have 16 percent faster overall performance than their predecessors.

The first Copilot+ PCs arrived in June, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip. The initial batch of Arm-based PCs include laptops and 2-in-1s from Microsoft, Acer, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus and Dell.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/copilot-features-are-coming-to-ai-pcs-powered-by-intel-and-amds-latest-chips-190707475.html?src=rss

Instagram Stories are getting comments

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Instagram is rolling out comments for Stories. Previously, the short-lived Stories could only be replied to in direct messages. This new feature offers a more visible way for users to interact with their friends' posts. The original poster will not receive the comments in a DM; a rep from Meta said that "comments live only on your Story."

Story comments can be turned on or off for any individual post. If enabled, comments can be seen by anyone following an account, but only mutuals can leave comments. As with the Story post type, the comments will disappear after 24 hours. Small profile images of the commenters will appear at the bottom of a person's Story icon, so you'll know there are comments attached before you tap to view the post.

People can still choose to respond to Stories with a DM if the user has their account set to accept those messages. There's also an option to send a DM in response to a Story comment, which you can do by swiping left on the text and tapping the DM icon.

Instagram has been giving users more ways to snazz up their Stories. The posts can be created with customizable templates, get an AI-generated background or use a growing number of interactive stickers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-stories-are-getting-comments-183051677.html?src=rss

Elgato’s Stream Deck Neo is 15 percent off right now

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Folks who are looking to upgrade their livestreaming setup or become more productive on their PC or Mac may be interested in picking up an Elgato Stream Deck Neo. The desktop device allows you to set up all manner of commands and shortcuts that you can trigger with the press of a button. The Stream Deck Neo strikes a good middle ground between the Mini (which has just six buttons) and the full-size model.

The Stream Deck Neo typically costs $100. However, it's currently on sale at Amazon for $85.

The Stream Deck MK.2 has long been one of our recommended accessories for folks who stream gameplay on the likes of Twitch or YouTube. But the smaller Neo can do the trick too. The larger model has 15 LCD keys compared with the Neo's eight, but you can set up multiple pages of shortcuts for the Neo and navigate between them with the press of a button.

Setting up commands and shortcuts through the Stream Deck PC and Mac app can be as simple as dragging and dropping actions into place. There are a ton of presets for you to get started with too. The Stream Deck Neo offers integrations with a bunch of apps, such as Zoom, Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Google Workspace, Photoshop, Adobe Creative Apps, Spotify and Music. You can use it to control smart home devices as well, including lights and speakers. 

An info bar along the bottom can persistently display key information, such as the date and time. What's more, you can customize the image that appears on each LCD button to be just about whatever you want for that ultra-personal touch.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/elgatos-stream-deck-neo-is-15-percent-off-right-now-181501365.html?src=rss

Android 15 is now here a month later than expected

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We’re used to hearing about new Android versions during Google Pixel smartphone launch events, but Android 15’s source code is finally out at the Android Open Source Project. It was strangely missing from the Google Pixel launch event last month, but it’s better late than never. Check out the go-live link from the developers here.

Android 15 will be available on select Pixel models soon. Some devices from Samsung, Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo and Xiaomi will receive support in the coming months. Some of the more interesting features are smart volume adjustment and dynamic range compression for apps with AAC audio content containing loudness metadata. Besides improved split-screen app access, there’s also edge-to-edge app display if the app targets SDK 35.

The developers are also starting a series called Spotlight Weeks to explore Android-related technical topics. They’ll start by covering what’s new on Android 15.

Ever since Android 10, Google has stopped naming its latest releases after desserts. Ending the tradition with Android 9 Pie, Google is now focusing on more conventional branding and regular feature releases. While these may be a sign of a mature OS, some of us miss the wilder days filled with anticipation. Take us back, maybe?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-15-is-now-here-a-month-later-than-expected-180045026.html?src=rss

Android’s Earthquake Alert System expands to the entire US

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Google is expanding Android Earthquake Alerts to the entire US and six territories. The feature first launched in 2020, using the United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeAlert system to send warnings in California, Washington, and Oregon. The expansion will use built-in accelerometers — a tool that senses vibrations — in Android phones to issue early alerts.

The Android Earthquake Alerts System will then look at crowdsourced data to determine if it's an earthquake. If the earthquake registers at a magnitude of 4.5 or higher, you will get either a "Be Aware" or "Take Action" alert. The first warns you that there's light shaking but that stronger shaking could come. Take Action is a call to immediately find protection, as moderate or extreme shaking is expected. The system will also provide information on how to proceed once the earthquake ends.

Google teamed up with leading experts in the earthquake field to improve its Android Earthquake Alerts System. "Earthquake alerts on your device reduce milling and the verification pause that often occurs during crises, when people lose valuable time seeking confirmation from unreliable sources," said Dr. Jeannette Sutton, a professor at the University at Albany specializing in disasters, risk and public alerts. "Expanding this system enhances public safety during earthquakes by providing crucial information to even more users."

Google is releasing a series of new features alongside the Earthquake Alerts, including offline Maps on your Wear OS smartwatch. The update allows you to access maps you've downloaded on your phone right on your watch. You can also use Circle to Search to identify music playing on social media or speakers near you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/androids-earthquake-alert-system-expands-to-the-entire-us-180030553.html?src=rss

Until Dawn remake studio lays off staffers before the game’s even out

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The studio behind the upcoming PlayStation 5 and PC remaster of the PlayStation 4 survivor horror game Until Dawn has let go some of its staffers just a month before its release on October 4. Eurogamer reported the unfortunate news on Sunday, and Ballistic Moon confirmed the layoffs in a statement posted on its LinkedIn page on Labor Day, of all days.

“It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that we must make the tough decision to significantly scale down our team to secure the future of our studio,” the statement reads. “This comes after our development of Until Dawn for PS5 and PC.” Ballistic Moon did not state how many staffers were being cut, or what percentage of the team were let go.

Two former staffers broke the news on their social media accounts over the weekend. Former junior game designer Cassy Cornish and former technical designer Harry Williams posted news about their respective job losses on LinkedIn.

“Like many others in this wonderful but turbulent industry, I am sadly being made redundant from my role as a Junior Game Designer at Ballistic Moon,” Cornish wrote. “The team have been wonderful and I’m so excited for our game to release in October!”

Ballistic Moon is just one of the latest in a long line of game studio and tech company layoffs. Take-Two Interactive, the Behaviour (Dead By Daylight), Bungie (Destiny 2 and Marathon’s) and Humble Games have all seen staff cuts recently.

Eurogamer also reported on Monday that Rocksteady, the studio behind the iconic Batman Arkham games, reduced the size of its QA department from 33 to 15 employees over the past month following the disappointing release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League; One of the laid-off employees was on a scheduled paternity leave.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/until-dawn-remake-studio-lays-off-staffers-before-the-games-even-out-172910650.html?src=rss