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Off-Planet Dreams is a delightfully tricky Playdate platformer with invisible puzzles

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Off-Planet Dreams gives you everything you need to succeed, if you really want that. Help is just a few button-presses away at (almost) all times. Because of that, it feels uniquely accessible for what it is — an “invisible puzzle platformer” designed to trip you up over and over again until you’ve learned enough from your mistakes to move forward. Depending on how you approach it, Off-Planet Dreams is either a trial-and-error nightmare loop or a relatively easygoing platform adventure. Or something between the two. I died 274 times in my first playthrough, if that’s any indication of how challenging it can be.

Off-Planet Dreams presents you (playing as a blob) with a grid and some floating doors, and says, essentially, ‘okay, now find your way out.’ There are platforms that form a path to each door, but all the platforms are invisible. This is where the game’s “difficulty is what you make of it” ethos comes in. You can commit to jumping into the abyss every time and hoping to land on a platform, memorizing each misstep so you know what not to do the next time around if you die, or you can choose one of the three available tools for some guidance. “Peek” will give you a quick glimpse of any platforms nearby, “Paint” will highlight any platform you’ve stepped on, and “Show” will reveal all of the platforms in that room.

Being stubborn, I was determined to get as far as I could without any help. But, I was humbled not too far in when I found myself trapped in Level 2-5 — a level with multiple sublevels that’ll repeatedly throw you back to its start if you go through the wrong doors. Here, I eventually caved and enabled “Show” just to give my brain some space to work out what the puzzle was without having to worry about remembering platforms. (When I finally figured it out, it wasn’t even that complicated. Sigh). After that point, I bounced between going unaided and using the “Paint” option as a little treat.

The game throws a curveball at you about halfway through when it introduces a new mechanic that requires the crank, which I thought was really clever once I got over the initial frustration of not knowing what the hell was going on. And further on, Off-Planet Dreams undergoes a stylistic shift that transforms it into something else entirely than what it was at the beginning. The developers wrote in the description that Off-Planet Dreams is “more than a grid of dots,” and they weren’t kidding. I had a lot of fun with it. You can get it now on the Playdate Catalog for $6.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/off-planet-dreams-is-a-delightfully-tricky-playdate-platformer-with-invisible-puzzles-230024431.html?src=rss

Apple’s revamped Mac mini and iPad mini could be here as soon as November 1

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It seems Apple has a slew of hardware announcements in store for us this fall. In the Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is gearing up to announce new MacBook Pro models, the redesigned Mac mini, the M4 iMac and a new iPad mini before the end of the month, and is targeting a release date of November 1 for “at least some” of these products.

According to Gurman, we’re likely to see a low- and high-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, both packing the M4 chips. There will also be a 16-inch high-end MacBook Pro. As for the Mac mini, Gurman previously reported that the upcoming M4 Mac mini may be tiny compared to its predecessors, with a build roughly the size of an Apple TV box. The size reduction may also mean it drops the USB-A ports. Following the fall releases, Gurman predicts Apple will have a bunch of other products ready for early 2025, including a 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air, along with a refreshed iPhone SE and iPad Air in both sizes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-revamped-mac-mini-and-ipad-mini-could-be-here-as-soon-as-november-1-171029304.html?src=rss

The first Apple Intelligence features are expected to arrive on October 28

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Apple Intelligence will start rolling out on October 28, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple said last month that it was targeting October for the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 — which will bring some of the first Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 16 and other Apple devices — but it didn’t set a firm release date at the time. The first wave of Apple Intelligence features will include the text editor and summarization tool, Writing Tools, along with smart audio recording and transcriptions for Mail, Notes, Pages and other apps.

We’ll also likely see the new Memories feature in Photos, which is designed to be an easy-to-use editor for making movies with images from the gallery, and Clean Up, which can remove objects from the background of images. Other Apple Intelligence features, like ChatGPT integration and Genmoji, are expected to come with later versions of iOS 18 that will roll out across the end of the year and early 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-first-apple-intelligence-features-are-expected-to-arrive-on-october-28-144459627.html?src=rss

Google’s theft protection features have started showing up for some Android users

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Three new theft protection features that Google announced earlier this year have reportedly started rolling out on Android. The tools — Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock — are aimed at giving users a way to quickly lock down their devices if they’ve been swiped, so thieves can’t access any sensitive information. Android reporter Mishaal Rahman shared on social media that the first two tools had popped up on a Xiaomi 14T Pro, and said some Pixel users have started seeing Remote Lock.

Theft Detection Lock is triggered by the literal act of snatching. The company said in May that the feature “uses Google AI to sense if someone snatches your phone from your hand and tries to run, bike or drive away.” In such a scenario, it’ll lock the phone’s screen. 

Offline Device Lock, on the other hand, can automatically lock the screen after a thief has disconnected the phone from the internet. You can already remotely lock your phone with Google’s Find My Device, but the third feature, Remote Lock, lets you do so without having to scramble to figure out your Google account password. All you’d need for this is “your phone number and a quick security challenge using any device.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/googles-theft-protection-features-have-started-showing-up-for-some-android-users-210634941.html?src=rss

What to read this weekend: Preventing an asteroid apocalypse, and Cult of the Lamb’s first arc wraps up

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New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-preventing-an-asteroid-apocalypse-cult-of-the-lamb-comic-louise-erdrich-mighty-red-190816097.html?src=rss

X reportedly paid its Brazil fines to the wrong bank, causing further delay in reinstatement case

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Despite the company’s recent decision to abide by the demands of the Brazilian Supreme Court, X still isn’t back online in Brazil — and according to Reuters, that’s at least in part because it paid its fines to the wrong bank. After weeks being banned in Brazil, X in late September named a legal representative for the country as ordered, and took down accounts the court accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech. Its final hurdle was to pay off the fines that it had racked up, reportedly amounting to roughly $5 million.

Citing Friday court filings, Reuters reports that X says it’s paid the fines and requested to have services restored. But, Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the funds went to the wrong bank, and the decision will have to wait until they’ve been transferred. X maintains that it paid its fines correctly, according to Reuters. X has been banned in Brazil since the end of August. While the company initially resisted the court’s orders, it recently changed its tune and said it was working with the Brazilian government to get the platform back online in the country.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-reportedly-paid-its-brazil-fines-to-the-wrong-bank-causing-further-delay-in-reinstatement-case-164959494.html?src=rss

Lego’s website was hacked to promote a crypto scam

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People who visited Lego's website on the evening of October 4 were welcomed by a banner with illustrated golden coins bearing the company's logo, claiming that the "Lego coin" is now officially out. It even promised "secret rewards" to those who'd buy some. But Lego wasn't truly launching an official cryptocurrency coin, and according to The Brick Fan, the button to buy led to an external cryptocurrency website selling "LEGO Tokens" with Ethereum. The website was, seemingly, hijacked by bad actors who switched its banner and used it for some sort of crypto scam. 

As users on the Lego subreddit have noted, the incident happened overnight for Lego's headquarters. The company responded relatively quickly, though, and removed the unauthorized banner and links. As of this writing, the Lego Fortnite collaboration banner is back up, and the "buy now" link leads to the collection. Lego told Engadget that no user accounts were compromised and that it has identified the cause of the issue. It also said that it was implementing measures to prevent anything similar from happening again in the future. However, the company has declined to share details about that "cause" or the measures it's implementing. 

Here's the company's official statement:

"On 5 October 2024 (October 4 evening in the US), an unauthorised banner briefly appeared on LEGO.com. It was quickly removed, and the issue has been resolved. No user accounts have been compromised, and customers can continue shopping as usual. The cause has been identified and we are implementing measures to prevent this from happening again."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/legos-website-was-hacked-to-promote-a-crypto-scam-140045757.html?src=rss

Gmail’s Gemini-powered Q&A feature comes to iOS

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A few months ago, Google introduced a new way to search Gmail with the help of its Gemini AI. The feature, called Gmail Q&A, lets you find specific emails and information by asking the Gemini chatbot questions. You can ask things like "What time is our dinner reservation on Saturday?" to quickly find the information you need. It was only initially available on Android devices, but now Google has started rolling it out to iPhones. 

In addition to being able to ask questions, you can also use the feature to find unread emails from a specific sender simply by telling Gemini to "Find unread emails by [the person's name]." You can ask the chatbot to summarize a topic you know you can find in your inbox, such as work projects that you've been on for months consisting of multiple conversations across several threads. And you can even use Gemini in Gmail to do general search queries without having to leave your inbox. To access Gemini, simply tap on the star icon at the top right corner of your Gmail app. 

Google says the feature could take up to 15 days to reach your devices. Take note, however, that you do need to have access to Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium or Google One AI Premium to be able to use it. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gmails-gemini-powered-qa-feature-comes-to-ios-120015661.html?src=rss

Foamstars is going free-to-play starting today

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Square Enix’s multiplayer shooter Foamstars is moving to a free-to-play model. The four-player team multiplayer melee officially turned into a free game today on Sony’s PlayStation 4 and 5 meaning you also won’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play it, according to a posting on the studio’s support page.

If you purchased the game before Square Enix’s price change, the studio will send you a free “Legacy Gift” that includes 12 exclusive color-variant Bubble Beastie skins, an exclusive Slide Board design and a “Legacy” title. You’ll need to keep an eye on the game’s official website and X account to find out how to obtain your free “Legacy Gift.”

Foamstars released earlier this year on Sony’s past and current gen consoles as a third-person multiplayer battle game. It’s basically a mix of the homebase building mechanic of Fortnite and Nintendo’s family friendly multiplayer shooter melee Splatoon. Teams use mounds of foam to build terrain for their shooters to traverse at high speeds or build higher vantage points to attack their enemies. You shouldn’t learn anymore about the game’s backstory and where the mounds of foam come from or at least not while you’re eating. Trust us on this one.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/foamstars-is-going-free-to-play-starting-today-231750186.html?src=rss

Fisker faces more bad news as the SEC starts investigating its business practices

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The past week hasn’t been the kindest to the electric vehicle industry. Now, it’s capped off with news that the EV startup Fisker is the subject of an investigation from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

TechCrunch reported that SEC officials sent several subpoenas to Fisker. The filing doesn’t specifically say what the subpoenas are asking for or looking into but it’s clear that the SEC has launched an investigation into the floundering EV maker that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June.

Fisker has been struggling to keep its head above water ever since last year’s disastrous rollout of its Ocean SUV that failed to score more than a few thousands sellers even though it produced well over 10,000 units. Following its Q4 earnings report last year that saw a gross margin loss of 35 percent, the car maker announced it would lay off 15 percent of its workforce the following March as it shifted to a direct-to-consumer sales strategy.

A Fisker spokesperson declined to comment on the matter to TechCrunch saying they could not “comment on the existence or nonexistence of a possible investigation.”

Fisker isn’t the only EV maker to suffer a noticeable setback. Tesla saw a major stumble with the fifth recall of its beleaguered Cybertruck.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/fisker-faces-more-bad-news-as-the-sec-starts-investigating-its-business-practices-222504280.html?src=rss