Tag Archives: language|en-US

MIT tests new ingestible sensor that records your breathing through your intestines

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MIT researchers developed an ingestible capsule that can monitor vital signs including heart rate and breathing patterns from within a patient’s GI tract. The scientists also say that the novel device has the potential to also be used to detect signs of respiratory depression during an opioid overdose. Giovanni Traverso, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT who has been working on developing a range of ingestible sensors, told Engadget that the device will be especially useful for sleep studies.

Conventionally, sleep studies require patients to be hooked up to a number of sensors and devices. In labs and in at-home studies, sensors can be attached to a patient’s scalp, temples, chest and lungs with wires. A patient may also wear a nasal cannula, chest belt and pulse oximeter which can connect to a portable monitor. “As you can imagine, trying to sleep with all of this machinery can be challenging,” Traverso told Engadget.

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MIT

This trial, which used a capsule made by Celero Systems —A start-up led by MIT and Harvard researchers— marks the first time ingestible sensor technology was tested in humans. Aside from the start-up and MIT, the research was spearheaded by experts at West Virginia University and other hospital affiliates.

The capsule contains two small batteries and a wireless antenna that transmits data. The ingestible sensor, which is the size of a vitamin capsule, traveled through the gastrointestinal tract, and collected signals from the device while it was in the stomach. The participants stayed at a sleep lab overnight while the device recorded respiration, heart rate, temperature and gastric motility. The sensor was also able to detect sleep apnea in one of the patients during the trial. The findings suggest that the ingestible was able to measure health metrics on par with medical-grade diagnostic equipment at the sleep center. Traditionally, patients that need to get diagnosed with specific sleep disorders are required to stay overnight at a sleep lab, where they get hooked onto an array of sensors and devices. Ingestible sensor technology eliminates the need for that.

Importantly, MIT says there were no adverse effects reported due to capsule ingestion. The capsule typically passes through a patient within a day or so, though that short internal shelf life may also limit how effective it could be as a monitoring device. Traverso told Engadget that he aims to have Celetro, which he co-founded, eventually contain a mechanism that will allow the capsule to sit in a patient’s stomach for a week.

Dr. Ali Rezai, the executive chair of the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, said that there is a huge potential for creating a new pathway through this device that will help providers identify when a patient is overdosing according to their vitals. In the future, researchers even anticipate that devices could incorporate drugs internally: overdose reversal agents, such as nalmefene, could be slowly administered if a sensor records that a person’s breathing rate slowed or stopped. More data from the studies will be made available in the coming months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mit-tests-new-ingestible-sensor-that-record-your-breathing-through-your-intestines-224823353.html?src=rss

This 55-inch Samsung Frame TV is on sale for 35 percent off in Amazon’s Black Friday sale

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Samsung’s Frame smart TVs are cheaper than ever in a Black Friday deal that you can snag right now at both Amazon and Samsung direct. The TVs come in 32- to 85-inch configurations, and all of them have some sort of discount. Of note is the 55-inch model, which is 35 percent off and down to $978 — a new record low, and the steepest percent-discount of the bunch. If you’re looking for the biggest dollar-amount savings, that’s on the massive 85-inch TV, which is $1,000 off and on sale for $3,298. 

These are the latest Frame TV models, with QLED displays and support for 4K content, Quantum Dot technology and 100 percent color volume. That quality should be good enough for most people (if you want your next set to be OLED, we recommend checking out these deals on LG, Sony and Samsung OLED TVs), but the real selling point of the Frame series is its ability to blend into your home's decor.

Thanks to its included slim wall mount, anti-reflective matte display and Art Mode, the Frame can mimic a piece of art hanging on your walls when you're note actively watching TV. When we used it, we were also impressed that it comes with an external receiver/port hub/tuner box combo that connects to the panel via a wire, so you could cleverly hide that wire behind a wall or with some accessories to truly make the TV look like it's a floating photo.

The only catch is that Samsung's full collection of displayable art hides behind a $5-per-month paywall. Thankfully, you do get a few pieces of art for free that you can display on the Frame, and you can upload your own photos and images to the Frame from your phone or via a USB drive to display as well. Combine that with the ability to customize the hardware further with a personalized bezel (at an extra cost, of course), and you have a TV that you can make your own and that won't be a big, blocky eyesore in your home like most other sets.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-55-inch-samsung-frame-tv-is-on-sale-for-35-percent-off-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-211336306.html?src=rss

Apple, Disney among brands reportedly pulling ads from X amid growing antisemitic content backlash

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More major advertisers are pulling their ads from X amid a growing backlash to antisemitic content on the platform. Apple, Disney and Lionsgate are all reportedly suspending ads from the platform days after X owner Elon Musk appeared to publicly endorse an antisemitic conspiracy theory, according to Axios and The New York Times. Warner Brothers Discovery also paused its ads, according to Deadline, as did Paramount Global per CNBC.

The companies join IBM, which confirmed Thursday it was suspending its ads while it investigated a report that found ads for its Watson division appearing next to pro-Nazi content. The report, published by watchdog group Media Matters, also found ads for Apple, Oracle and other tech companies alongside similar content.

An executive at X previously told Engadget that the posts identified by Media Matters were no longer monetizable and that “the X system is not intentionally placing a brand actively next to this type of content, nor is a brand actively trying to support this content with placement.” X CEO Linda Yaccarino also said that “X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination.”

Many of X’s advertisers have long been concerned about the state of hate speech on the platform, but the departures of Apple, Disney, Lionsgate and IBM are a new blow to the company’s already struggling ad business. And it appears that a recent tweet from Musk, in which voiced agreement with an account promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory, has prompted more advertisers pull back from the platform, at least temporarily.

Axios reported that Apple opted to “pause” all advertising on the platform, though it’s not clear whether the decision was driven by Musk’s tweet, Media Matters’ report or both. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but this wouldn’t be the first time the company has raised concerns about the direction of the platform under Musk’s leadership, and its role as a major advertiser. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in September the company was “constantly” questioning whether it should continue advertising on X. Apple also briefly paused ads on X (then Twitter) last year, amid a "misunderstanding" between the two CEOs.

The latest advertiser exodus comes one year after civil rights groups called for an advertiser boycott following Musk’s takeover of Twitter amid concerns about rising hate speech and relaxed content moderation policies under Musk. Though some major Twitter advertisers returned to the platform, the company’s ad business never rebounded. Musk said over the summer that the company’s ad revenue was down more than 50 percent.

Update, November 17 2023, 6:55PM ET: This story has been updated to note that Disney and Lionsgate have joined Apple in pausing advertising on X.

Update, November 17 2023, 7:15PM ET: This story has been updated to reflect reports that Warner Brothers Discovery has also pulled its ads. 

Update, November 17 2023, 7:45PM ET: This story has been updated with CNBC's report that Paramount Global has also pulled ads from X. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-reportedly-pulls-ads-from-x-amid-a-growing-backlash-to-antisemitic-content-on-the-platform-205849759.html?src=rss

OpenAI fires CEO Sam Altman as ‘board no longer has confidence’ in his leadership

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In a surprise shakeup of its c-suite Friday, OpenAI's board of directors announced that CEO Sam Altman has been fired and will be leaving both the company and the board, effective immediately. Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati has been named interim CEO.

Altman's oustering reportedly follows an internal "deliberative review process" which found he had not been "consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities," the company announced. As such, "the board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."

OpenAI, which owns popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, thanked Altman for his "many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI," but believes that "as the leader of the company’s research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO." The board added it has "the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period.”

OpenAI's board is comprised of the company's Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, as well as Chairman and President Greg Brockman. Independent advisors, who hold no equity in the company, are also board members: Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and privacy advocate Helen Toner of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Altman was also considered an independent advisor on the board, despite being CEO of the company prior to his departure.

Altman's personal profile has grown alongside the meteoric rise of generative AI technologies over the past year, making him something of the unofficial face for both OpenAI and the burgeoning industry as a whole. Previously the president of Y Combinator, Altman has appeared before Congressional panels and committees, attended Senate AI Insight forums and made numerous rounds at industry conferences.

The suddenness of Friday's announcement is certainly surprising given how steadily, and heavily, Altman has been promoting his company and its products in the days leading up to his termination.

Just last week, Altman took the stage at OpenAI's 2023 DevDay to announce a faster and more responsive GPT-4 Turbo platform as well as smaller, application-specific models simply dubbed GPTs. On Thursday Altman attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in San Francisco. "Something has qualitatively changed,” he said during the event. “Now I can talk to this thing. It’s like the ‘Star Trek’ computer I was always promised… I think a lot of the world has collectively gone through a lurch this year to catch up.” 

Altman and Murati aren't the only ones caught in this shuffle. Brockman was also notified that he would have to step down from his role as board President, however, "based on today's news, I quit," he wrote to OpenAI employees in a company-wide email Friday.

Microsoft, which signed a "multibillion-dollar" partnership extension with OpenAI in January, was down in market trading Friday afternoon. Despite the stock price hit, Microsoft will maintain its existing partnership with OpenAI, a company spokesperson told Engadget via email. “We have a long-term partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft remains committed to Mira and their team as we bring this next era of AI to our customers.” the spokesperson said. However, according to an report by The Information, few people within the Microsoft organization were warned of Altman's sacking prior to the public news release, including teams tasked with developing products based on OpenAI tech. 

The software giant's stance isn't surprising given the reported details of its $10 billion investment this past January, which bumped OpenAI's valuation to $23 billion. Microsoft will reportedly receive a lion's share of OpenAI's profits, some 75 percent, until that investment has been repaid, whereupon that figure will reportedly drop to 49 percent.

"We have a long-term agreement with OpenAI with full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and an exciting product roadmap; and remain committed to our partnership, and to Mira and the team," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a prepared statement Friday. "Together, we will continue to deliver the meaningful benefits of this technology to the world."

Altman co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk in 2015 as a nonprofit and has served as the CEO for the for-profit arm since 2019. The release of the company's ultra-popular ChatGPT conversational AI last November is credited with kickstarting the generative AI boom. 

The system, originally built atop the GPT-3.5 platform, initially enabled users to converse with a digital agent — one more capable than the previous generation of Siri, Alexa and Assistant — using natural language. Those capabilities quickly expanded to include myriad languages and modalities, as well as the ability to output programming code and control remote processes and devices through API access.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-ceo-sam-altman-ousted-as-board-no-longer-has-confidence-in-his-leadership-204924006.html?src=rss

What is RCS and how is it different from SMS and iMessage?

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For years, the iPhone’s two-tiered texting system has been a hot topic. iPhone-to-iPhone texts in the Messages app are blue, and enjoy full encryption and more robust media features, like animations. But messages to and from Android devices are merely standard SMS texts, and marked with a green tint. Apple’s segregated messaging platform has been the subject of a Google-funded shaming campaign, and even sparked chatter of regulatory intervention. But with Apple’s recent confirmation that it will begin supporting the newer RCS texting standard in iOS 18, is the iPhone messaging playing field about to be leveled? Or are we just exchanging one acronym for another?

Confused? Don’t worry. We’re about to lay out what could change with Apple’s adoption of the GSMA’s next-generation messaging protocol.

Short Message Service (SMS) is one of the most ubiquitous messaging protocols on the planet. It dates back to the early days of mobile technology. In December 1992, Neil Papworth, at the time an engineer at Vodafone, sent the first SMS text message when he wished his boss “Merry Christmas.” By the start of 2011, approximately 80 percent of all mobile phone users globally — an estimated 3.5 billion people — were sending SMS messages every month.

Today, however, the standard has some notable drawbacks. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, and texts you send can’t include photos, videos, audio or GIFs. For that, cell phones have long turned to a supporting protocol known as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), but it too has its share of technical limitations, including woefully small message size limits. SMS also doesn’t support end-to-end encryption.

But for all the ways SMS feels dated in an era dominated by instant messaging platforms, it has one defining advantage: SMS messages are routed through your carrier’s mobile network, meaning a data plan isn’t necessary to use the technology. That fact has meant SMS has often served as a fallback for more advanced protocols, including Apple's iMessage.

RCS is short for Rich Communication Services, though sometimes it is also marketed as “Advanced Messaging.” Either way, it’s often positioned as a next-generation replacement for SMS and MMS. RCS allows users to take advantage of many features that were previously exclusive to over-the-top messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

For instance, the RCS Universal Profile includes full support for read receipts and typing indicators. It can also facilitate proper group chats, and allow users to send high-resolution images, video and audio clips. As of earlier this year, Google’s implementation of RCS also offers by default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both one-on-one and group chats.

Unlike SMS texts, RCS messages are routed over a mobile data connection or Wi-Fi link, with SMS functioning as a fallback. For that reason, the older protocol likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

One thing that’s important to remember about RCS is that it is not and has never been envisioned as a replacement or competitor to instant messaging apps. At its heart, RCS is a communication protocol between mobile telephone carriers and between a phone and carrier. Taking advantage of RCS does not require signing up for a new service. As long as your phone and carrier support RCS, and you’re using a compatible app such as Messages by Google, you can take advantage of everything the protocol has to offer — provided, of course, the person or people you’re messaging meet those same requirements.

Apple announced iMessage in June 2011, a few short months before Steve Jobs died later that same year. Unlike RCS, iMessage is a proprietary messaging protocol controlled exclusively by Apple and available (barring some occasional, unofficial workarounds) only on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac devices. Starting in 2024 with the iOS 18 update, Apple plans to integrate support for RCS in its Messages app. As of writing this article, the two protocols do not communicate with one another. As such, Apple’s Messages app will default to SMS/MMS when users attempt to send texts and media files to someone with an Android phone.

From the perspective of an iMessage user, it can feel like Android users are stuck in a bygone messaging era — even though the latter is not at fault for the situation. Due to iMessage’s reliance on SMS/MMS for Android communication, media files end up pixelated, there aren’t any read receipts or typing indicators and forget about trying to involve multiple iPhone and Android users in a single group chat.

Although work on RCS began before Apple announced iMessage, the protocol had one major disadvantage that doomed it to a slow rollout. RCS is a multi-stakeholder project that includes the involvement of the GSMA, a trade body that represents the interests of the mobile communications industry at large. In 2015, Google took a more active role in the proliferation of RCS when it acquired Jibe Mobile. With Jibe’s technology as a base, it’s effectively Google that provides the glue that binds the RCS ecosystem together, but for a long time, the company did a poor job of aligning everyone involved in RCS toward a shared goal.

In fact, the early days of RCS were marked by false starts, with some carriers, including a group made up of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon forming a short-lived joint venture to push the protocol forward before eventually aligning themselves with Google. Even Samsung did its own thing for a while before it too eventually agreed to make Messages by Google the default messaging app it ships on phones in the US.

For that reason, Apple has had little reason to adopt RCS. After all, why would it give a bumbling competitor a freebie? And as recently as 2022, it seemed there was little to no chance the situation was going to change anytime soon. "I don't hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy into that," Apple CEO Tim Cook told the Code Conference that year when he was asked about RCS messaging. “Buy your mom an iPhone” was his final word on the matter.

But it was also last year that the European Union passed its landmark Digital Markets and Services Act (DMA). The legislation requires “gatekeepers” to not favor their own systems or limit third parties from interoperating within them. Gatekeepers are any company that meets specific financial and usage qualifications. Apple, according to the law, is one such company. 

Ultimately, the EU ruled in 2024 that Apple’s Messages app did not constitute a monopoly (though European regulators had plenty of other directives for other aspects of Apple's empire). Despite being in compliance, however, Apple had pledged to adopt RCS support months earlier. Per noted Apple pundit John Gruber, Apple’s bigger motivation may have been to placate regulators in China. But whatever the reason, it appears to be a done deal: Apple reaffirmed RCS support is coming to the iPhone as part of iOS 18.

Does Apple’s support of RCS mean the end of green text bubbles on iPhone?

Alas, green bubbles are likely here to stay. The company noted in its original comment on RCS that iMessage “will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.” That said, even if you take that statement to mean iMessage will continue to display texts from non-Apple devices differently from those sent from an iPhone, iPad or Mac, Apple’s adoption of RCS should lead to a better user experience for both iOS and Android users.

Again, Apple needs to provide specifics, but it’s easy to envision a future where its Messages app, thanks to RCS, properly displays high-resolution images and videos sent from Android phones, and allows both iOS and Android users to take part in group chats without something breaking. Apple also said in its original November 2023 announcement it would work with GSMA members to improve the existing Universal Profile protocol, with a focus on adding end-to-end encryption to the standard.

Of course, whether that interoperability ends the stigma around green bubbles is harder to answer.

Editors' note: This story was originally published in November 2023 and has been updated to reflect new information. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-is-rcs-and-how-is-it-different-from-sms-and-imessage-202334057.html?src=rss

Half-Life’s big 25th anniversary update includes four new multiplayer maps and much more

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Half-Life is one of the greatest video games of all time and just ahead of its 25th anniversary on Sunday, Valve has released a major update for the first-person shooter. For one thing, the base game now includes Half-Life Uplink. This was a demo of Half-Life, but most of its content doesn't appear in the original game.

Uplink was initially available on CDs that came free with magazines (remember those?) and hardware like sound cards. It's also been available on the internet for a while for those who know where to look. But now players can access it by clicking the New Game button in Half-Life itself.

On top of that, Valve has added four spanking new multiplayer maps. Some might seem familiar, such as one based on an abandoned Xen outpost and another set at an old orbital satellite launch facility. "If we could switch on the oxygen lines, power, and fuel, we might just be able to light this candle," Valve said. The company has added three other maps that were originally available on a disc called Half-Life: Further Data.

You can now, at long last, play the original Half-Life in widescreen without having to resort to mods or the fan remake Black Mesa. Valve has added controller support along with a string of other under-the-hood updates, UI tweaks and bug fixes. Steam Networking support should make multiplayer smoother too.

Although it's a critical part of Valve's history, Half-Life hadn't been Verified for Steam Deck until now. It instead bore the Playable label. "We finally put our game through our own 'Verified' tests, and... we failed super hard," Valve wrote. "So we fixed it! After re-testing the game, Half-Life gets to officially wear the green checkmark." So, that means it should run on your new Steam Deck OLED without a hitch.

Best of all, in case you somehow don't already have it in your library, Half-Life is free on Steam until November 20. Various Half-Life and Valve bundles are on sale too, while Half-Life Alyx is 66 percent off at $20.39.

It's worth noting that Valve now considers the anniversary edition of Half-Life "to be the definitive version, and the one we'll continue to support going forward." As such, Valve says Half Life: Source will be less prominent on Steam, but it will remain available so modders can continue using its assets.

"We launched Half-Life on November 19, 1998. We are very proud of what we built back then and we remain extremely grateful for the community of players who have been enjoying it ever since," Valve said. "The game hasn't received as much attention in recent years as many other titles in our catalog, so we thought this milestone was a great opportunity to spruce up the player experience and add some fun new ways to play the game."

Last but not least, Valve has released a new documentary to mark the 25th anniversary. The 65-minute film features developers and Valve co-founders discussing the company's early days and their memories of working on Half-Life. Happy birthday, Mr. Freeman.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/half-lifes-big-25th-anniversary-update-includes-four-new-multiplayer-maps-and-much-more-193932590.html?src=rss

Amazon is laying off several hundred employees working on Alexa

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Amazon is sacking employees in its Alexa division even as it prepares to upgrade Alexa to be as smart as modern AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT. The move will impact several hundred employees in the US, Canada, and India, according to an internal email sent on Friday.

“As we continue to invent, we’re shifting some of our efforts to better align with our business priorities, and what we know matters most to customers — which includes maximizing our resources and efforts focused on generative AI,” wrote Daniel Bausch, Amazon’s vice president of Alexa and Fire TV in the email, first obtained by GeekWire. “These shifts are leading us to discontinue some initiatives, which is resulting in several hundred roles being eliminated.”

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the company was, indeed, laying off “several hundred” people in the division and said that Amazon was trying to find roles for those impacted wherever possible. “While this was a hard decision to make, we remain very optimistic about the future of Alexa,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “As we move forward, Alexa remains an incredibly important part of our business, and we will continue to invest and innovate to deliver on our vision.” The spokesperson did not say which initiatives were being discontinued.

Amazon released Alexa in 2014. But nearly ten years later, most people don’t use the digital assistant for anything beyond playing music, asking for the weather, or setting timers. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which was powered by generative AI, was widely perceived to be smarter than Alexa and Siri, which sometimes struggle with basic requests. A few months ago, OpenAI added voice capabilities to ChatGPT, letting people have conversations with it in natural language.

In September, Amazon announced that it would upgrade Alexa with capabilities that would bring it closer in line with ChatGPT. Alexa will soon be powered by a large language model, the same foundational technology that is the basis of modern chatbots like ChatGPT. “Our latest model has been specifically optimized for voice,” David Limp, Amazon’s SVP of Devices & Services, told the audience at the company’s event that month, “and the things we know our customers love — like having access to real-time information, efficiently controlling their smart home, and getting the most out of their home entertainment.” Earlier this year, Limp announced he would leave Amazon after more than 13 years later this year and is now the CEO of Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin.

The new upgrades to Alexa will mean that you won’t have to say “Alexa” each time you want something done. You’ll also be able to give complex requests, like asking the assistant to prepare the house for bedtime every weeknight at 9 PM, dim the lights, lock the doors, and set the temperature all at one go. Alexa will also be able to hold longer conversations and maintain the context of the discussion.

Amazon has so far laid off more than 27,000 employees across the company after it began mass-scale cutbacks a year ago for the first time in its history. Last week, the company cut 180 jobs from its gaming division, including the entire staff of Crown, a company-backed Twitch channel. Earlier this month, Amazon also laid off an unspecified number of employees in its music streaming unit and has previously cut more than 100 employees from its gaming divisions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-laying-off-several-hundred-employees-working-on-alexa-190339189.html?src=rss

Cadillac’s midrange Optiq electric SUV takes cues from the high-end Lyriq

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Cadillac has unveiled a new entry-level compact electric SUV. The Optiq will sit below the Lyriq in Cadillac’s lineup, and images the automaker shared suggest it will also borrow from the more expensive SUV’s stylings. However, you may have to wait a while before buying one, as Cadillac says we won’t hear more about the Optiq (including its full specs) until 2024.

The Optiq will continue Cadillac’s naming convention of ending its EVs’ names with some form of “IQ.” In addition to the Lyriq, other examples include the Escalade IQ and Celestiq.

Although Cadillac hasn’t explicitly stated so, the Optiq will likely use GM’s Ultium battery platform. Road and Driver speculates that since Cadillac’s SUV is similar in size to the Chevy Equinox EV, it could have similar specs. The Equinox has a 210-horsepower electric motor for the front wheels and an optional 290-horsepower dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with a range likely capping out at around 300 miles for maxed-out configurations.

Marketing photo of the Cadillac Optiq, sitting under a modern building at nighttime. The vehicle is a reddish-orange.
Cadillac

Autoblog notes details we already know about the version of the Optiq made for China, thanks to photos and information shared through the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) pre-market vehicle approval process. That model is allegedly 189.8 inches long, 75.3 inches wide and 64.6 inches tall. That would make it around 2.5 inches narrower and seven inches shorter (in length) than the Lyriq. The China model is listed as weighing 4.850 lbs with a top speed of 112 mph. It has two front-wheel-drive configurations, including a 201-horsepower motor and a 241-hp one.

Cadillac’s full press release was short and to the point. “Today, Cadillac has confirmed the fourth vehicle to join its expanding global electric vehicle portfolio — OPTIQ,” the announcement reads. “OPTIQ will act as the entry point for Cadillac’s EV lineup in North America, slotting in below LYRIQ, a luxury compact SUV. OPTIQ’s spirited driving dynamics are designed to appeal to global luxury customers.  Additional details, as well as available features and pricing, will be unveiled next year.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cadillacs-midrange-optiq-electric-suv-takes-cues-from-the-high-end-lyriq-183414934.html?src=rss

These Anker Black Friday deals will save you up to 37 percent on some of our favorite charging gear

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A number of Anker chargers, cables, power adapters and other accessories are on sale for Black Friday at Amazon, with discounts of up to 37 percent. One key callout is on our favorite premium power bank, Anker's Prime 20,000 mAH battery with charging base. It's currently down to $130 for the set and the lowest price ever. At full price, we've seen the set go for as high as $200. The base is what makes it really stand apart from other power banks — simply drop the brick on the platform and it starts recharging. 

The screen on the Prime bank is impressive as well, detailing just how much charge the pack has left and how much is heading out of each of the three ports (one USB-A and two USB-C). In our tests, it revived a dead iPhone back to 100 percent in just over an hour and 45 minutes, with enough left over for another three-quarters charge. It brought a spent iPad Air back to full in a little under two hours. Not only is the base an easy way to recharge the battery, it also acts as a charging hub with three ports of its own for powering up other stuff. 

Other Anker accessories we like are seeing big discounts too, including the 67W USB-C charger for 37 percent off, bringing it to $38, matching its all-time low. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, so you can charge your phone, tablet and even a battery pack at one time. 

Our top 65W fast wall charger is Anker's 735 GaN Prime, which is down to a new low price after a 38 percent discount. It's got the same three ports as the above wall adapter and outperformed other contenders in our tests. 

Finally, the diminutive and handy Anker Nano Power Bank is seeing one of its first discounts since coming on the market a couple months ago. It's down to $21 and would make a great stocking stuffer — particularly for those who always seem to have a phone hovering around 5 percent. The small brick has a built-in foldable USB-C connector and in my experience, it got a Galaxy S23 Ultra to 62 percent in about an hour. Plus its easy to use the phone while the bank is pugged in. 

Check out the larger Black Friday Anker sale here.  

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-black-friday-deals-will-save-you-up-to-37-percent-on-some-of-our-favorite-charging-gear-183048555.html?src=rss

NVIDIA’s Shield TV Pro drops to a record-low of $170 for Black Friday

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If you’re looking for a streaming device with a bit more oomph than a standard USB stick, you should check out the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. It’s on sale right now for Black Friday, matching a record-low price of $170. That’s $30 off the MSRP, representing a savings of 15 percent for those keeping score.

This is an extremely powerful device, with enough juice to stream movies, run a PLEX server, play games via the cloud and do just about anything you want. There’s a reason, after all, the Shield TV Pro made our list of the best streaming devices you can buy in 2023. It runs on the Android TV platform and boasts a capable Tegra X1+ processor, so it easily handles 4K streams. It’ll even upscale 720p and 1080p video to 4K via the company’s proprietary AI neural network.

We also liked that this box supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, in addition to boasting 16GB of built-in storage for direct uploads of content. You also get 3GB of RAM to help speed up navigation and opening apps. As for content, you have your pick from all of the major streamers and anything else available on the Google Play Store. It’ll also play just about any game from the Play Store, though you’ll have to bring along your own controller.

To that end, you can use the device to opt into NVIDIA’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service, which provides access to over 1,500 games, including the full spate of Xbox Game Pass titles. The Shield Pro boasts an ethernet port for graphically-intensive game streams. About the only downside to this device is the original asking price, an issue made less urgent due to this sale.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidias-shield-tv-pro-drops-to-a-record-low-of-170-for-black-friday-182709988.html?src=rss