Tag Archives: region|US

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 drops to a record-low price ahead of October Prime Day

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The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the high-end option in the company's smartwatch lineup, meaning it costs a pretty penny. Ahead of October Prime Day, however, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has dropped to a record-low price of $689, down from $799. The 14 percent discount is available on models with a Rugged Titanium Case for small to large wrists. This includes watches fitted with the Blue Alpine Loop, Indigo Alpine Loop, Orange Ocean Band and more. 

Apple released the Ultra 2 in 2022 and, despite rumors, has yet to announce a successor. Our review gave the Ultra 2 an 85 thanks to features like its long battery life. It lasts for about 36 hours, letting us easily use it for three days without a recharge. Apple also claims it can get to about 60 hours with Lower Power Mode enabled, a setting that turns off the Always On Display and features like cellular connections and heart rate notifications. 

We named the Ultra 2 the best Apple Watch for adventurer due to its sizable battery life, compass app, water temperature gauge and loud onboard siren in case you get in trouble. Plus, it can set waypoints and offers the Wayfinder watch face in Night mode. One of our quips about the watch, though, was that it was too easy to accidentally press the action button instead of the crown. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-ultra-2-drops-to-a-record-low-price-ahead-of-october-prime-day-133416959.html?src=rss

The Morning After: SpaceX gets a surprising new enemy

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If events in the last few years have felt like a higher power playing Mad Libs with our lives, then it looks as if it’s running out of options. “SpaceX,” you imagine it pulling out “gets sued by…” and then the sounds of paper rustling until it says, “Cards Against Humanity.” Turns out the silly game jokesters own an acre of land near to SpaceX’s facility in Texas, which the latter has been using for its own purposes.

Cards Against Humanity has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, alleging the rocket company has been trespassing on land it bought back in 2017. The lawsuit says the previously pristine land has been turned into an ersatz staging ground and parking lot for nearby construction work. It asks for $15 million compensation for the trespass and damage. If successful, it says it’ll share the win with the crowdfunding backers who coughed up to buy the land.

If the higher power in question wants some help with some suggestions, it could do worse than suggesting Engadget’s humble newsletter writers win a billion pounds each on the same day in completely different competitions.

— Dan Cooper

Microsoft is bankrolling the partial reactivation of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Those with short memories may not know it was the site of a 1979 meltdown that helped halt the development of nuclear energy in the US.

Now, I’m not mad the plant is being reactivated, since nuclear offers safe, clean and abundant energy. TMI reactor one remained in operation from 1985 until 2019, so it’s got a healthy track record too. But I am mad at the reason Microsoft’s cutting the check: to power its AI data centers!

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Image of a B&B Theatres with its own pickleball court.
B&B Theatres

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of reasons I rarely visit movie theaters:

  1. The cost

  2. Not being able to pause the movie to visit the restroom

  3. People talking during the movie

  4. People checking Facebook on their phone during the movie

  5. People making phone calls during the movie

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things movie chains will do to lure me back:

  1. Spend $2.2 billion to install zip wires, pickleball courts and bowling alleys

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Open AI Logo
OpenAI

OpenAI is reportedly ditching its increasingly recognizable hexagonal flower logo in favor of something a bit more sinister. Staff members were apparently shown a stark black O icon that lacks the warmth of the existing identity. At the same time, a new profile of Sir Jonathan Ive reveals the long-rumored partnership between him and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is real. The iPhone designer’s firm, LoveFrom, is working on some sort of AI hardware tool, but that’s all we know right now. Let’s hope it does better than the Humane Pin, the last AI hardware tool cooked up by a storied designer with Apple on their resume.

Continue Reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-spacex-gets-a-surprising-new-enemy-111503179.html?src=rss

See the iPhone 16’s game-changing battery removal process in new iFixit teardown

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Apple introduced some major repairability improvements with the iPhone 16 lineup, but nothing stands out as much as the new battery removal process for the base iPhone 16. Doing away with the usual pull tabs, Apple is using an adhesive that debonds in response to a low electrical current. It only takes about a minute and a half for it to come unstuck, per Apple’s repair guide. A teardown by iFixit shows the process in action, and it sure looks easier than ever. iFixit tech Shahram Mokhtari said, “I’m not sure we’ve ever had a battery removal process go so cleanly and smoothly.”

Only the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have the new adhesive, and they’ve earned a 7/10 on iFixit’s repairability scale. “Apple definitely seems to be leveling up on repairability,” Mokhtari, adding Apple has “landed another repairability win” with this year’s base iPhones thanks to the new battery removal procedure. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/see-the-iphone-16s-game-changing-battery-removal-process-in-new-ifixit-teardown-213911136.html?src=rss

Indie classic To the Moon comes to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 October 8

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The emotional 2011 indie game To the Moon will soon be playable on Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Developer Freebird Games and publisher Serenity Forge announced this week that ports for the consoles will arrive on October 8 for $10. At the same time, they released a new installment in the series — a short called Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode that offers one of the series’ endings. It’s available now on Steam.

To the Moon is a time travel adventure that follows two doctors who have developed a way to help dying patients fulfill their greatest dreams by taking them back in time within their minds. The patient at the heart of the story is an elderly man named Johnny, whose final wish is to go to the moon. The game, which originally launched for PC, has become beloved over the years and eventually expanded to mobile and Nintendo Switch.

Freebird Games followed it up with another episode called Finding Paradise, which focuses on a different patient, and the time-travel murder mystery, Imposter Factory. There’s also a heartfelt short called A Bird Story. They’re all tear-jerkers. The developer has described the latest, Beach Episode, as “​​half of an ending” to the series.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/indie-classic-to-the-moon-comes-to-xbox-series-xs-and-ps5-october-8-193949307.html?src=rss

Jony Ive confirms he’s working with Sam Altman on a secret project

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Rumors emerged last year of a collaboration between former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but the two have until now kept quiet about it. In a profile by The New York Times that was published this weekend, though, Ive confirms his company LoveFrom is leading the design on an AI product being built with Altman. Also on board are Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both of whom held big design roles at Apple.

There’s so far a team of about 10 employees involved with the project, based in a San Francisco office building that’s one of several properties Ive has purchased on a single city block, according to the Times. But we still don’t know much about the product they’re working on. The report describes Tan and Hankey wheeling chairs between the LoveFrom properties that were “topped by papers and cardboard boxes with the earliest ideas for a product that uses A.I. to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone.”

Since Ive left Apple in 2019 to start LoveFrom, the design firm has worked on a typeface and even a red clown nose, but we haven’t seen much in the way of hardware — just that $60,000 turntable. While an AI product seems to be on the horizon, there’s currently no timeline for when it’ll make its debut.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/jony-ive-confirms-hes-working-with-sam-altman-on-a-secret-project-163201291.html?src=rss

What to read this weekend: A house haunted by AI and the mysterious murder of a superhero

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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-a-house-haunted-by-ai-and-the-mysterious-murder-of-a-superhero-193544502.html?src=rss

X is reportedly now complying with orders from Brazil’s Supreme Court

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X is reportedly reversing course after weeks of refusing to comply with conditions set by the Brazilian Supreme Court that would allow it to operate in the country again. According to The New York Times, the company’s lawyers said in a Friday court filing that X has named a legal representative in Brazil as demanded by justice Alexandre de Moraes and removed accounts that the judge had identified as a threat to democracy, along with paying the fines it owed. But, the publication also reports that the Brazil Supreme Court has said X did not submit all the necessary paperwork, and now has five days to do so.

The paperwork X failed to submit is that which would prove it formally appointed a legal representative in Brazil, as required by Brazilian law, according to Reuters. X named Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao as its new legal representative in the filing on Friday. The company has been working to restore service to users in Brazil after it was blocked at the end of August, and briefly came back online earlier this week using Cloudflare’s DNS. But, it said that this was “inadvertent and temporary.” In a statement, an X spokesperson said at the time, “While we expect the platform to be inaccessible again in Brazil soon, we continue efforts to work with the Brazilian government to return very soon for the people of Brazil.”

Brazil has threatened X and Starlink with daily fines of nearly $1 million if they do not comply with the ban in the country. Justice Moraes also made it so users in Brazil could be fined roughly $8,900 if caught using a VPN to access X. The company’s latest move is a step toward resolving the issue and potentially bringing X back to Brazil legally.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-reportedly-now-complying-with-orders-from-brazils-supreme-court-170651920.html?src=rss

OpenAI staffers reportedly ‘taken aback’ by ‘ominous’ logo rebranding

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OpenAI could undergo massive changes next year, which include getting a brand new logo. According to Fortune, though, staff members were less than enthused when they got a sneak peek of its supposed new logo at a recent company-wide meeting. The company's hexagonal flower symbol, which has become pretty recognizable thanks to ChatGPT's popularity, is gone. Instead, it's replaced by a large black "O" or a simple ring or circle that staffers reportedly found to be devoid of creativity — ominous, even. 

Based on how the publication's sources described it, the new logo sounds like the complete opposite of OpenAI's current one, which was designed to represent "precision, potential and optimism." The company apparently started its redesign efforts a year ago after hiring new people for its internal creative and design team. Fortune says one of the reasons OpenAI is going for a brand new look is because it doesn't own the typefaces used for its logo and its website. The company is, perhaps, looking to solidify its identity as it becomes more of a household name. 

Fortune also previously reported that OpenAI is changing its convoluted non-profit corporate structure next year. The company started as a non-profit, and a non-profit entity still controls its for-profit arm. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, reportedly told employees that the company is moving away from its non-profit structure and is becoming a more traditional for-profit company. If OpenAI's leaders listen to employee feedback, though, then the new OpenAI will debut with another logo and not one that even its own people find sinister.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-staffers-reportedly-taken-aback-by-ominous-logo-rebranding-160017936.html?src=rss

Early Prime Day deals include the Pixel Buds A-Series for only $64

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Amazon’s next Prime Day event is right around the corner, and the deals have already started trickling in. Google’s Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds have dropped down to just $64 from their normal price of $99. The A-Series, released in 2021, was Google’s more budget-friendly version of its 2020 Pixel Buds. They lack more advanced features like wireless charging and active noise cancellation, but the sound quality and battery life are decent for the price. If you’re an Android user looking for a good pair of earbuds that won’t break the bank, you might want to check these out.

The Pixel Buds A-Series may be a few years old now, but it’s still a nice pair of earbuds. We gave the Pixel Buds A-Series a score of 84 in our review when the model was first released, and were especially impressed with the sound quality, Google Assistant integration and comfort. The A-Series buds have a small “stabilizer arc” appendage to help them sit securely in the ears. There are some on-board controls, including play/pause, answer call and skip tracks, but they don’t have physical volume controls — for that, you’d need to use Google Assistant or adjust the volume on your device.

Google says the Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds get about five hours of listening time on a charge, or 2.5 hours of talk time. With the charging case, listening time goes up to about 24 hours. With the current deal, you can get the Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds in Clearly White or Dark Olive for $35 off the usual price. For a dollar more, you can grab them in Charcoal. (The pale blue Sea color option unfortunately isn’t covered in the discount). At $64, the Pixel Buds A-Series is almost at a record low, and cheaper even than during Prime Day in July.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/early-prime-day-deals-include-the-pixel-buds-a-series-for-only-64-152116488.html?src=rss

The Arc browser that lets you customize websites had a serious vulnerability

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One of the feature that separates the Arc browser from its competitors is the ability to customize websites. The feature called "Boosts" allows users to change a website's background color, switch to a font they like or one that makes it easier for them to read and even remove an unwanted elements from the page completely. Their alterations aren't supposed to be be visible to anyone else, but they can share them across devices. Now, Arc's creator, the Browser Company, has admitted that a security researcher found a serious flaw that would've allowed attackers to use Boosts to compromise their targets' systems. 

The company used Firebase, which the security researcher known as "xyzeva" described as a "database-as-a-backend service" in their post about the vulnerability, to support several Arc features. For Boosts, in particular, it's used to share and sync customizations across devices. In xyzeva's post, they showed how the browser relies on a creator's identification (creatorID) to load Boosts on a device. They also shared how someone could change that element to their target's identification tag and assign that target Boosts that they had created. 

If a bad actor makes a Boost with a malicious payload, for instance, they can just change their creatorID to the creatorID of their intended target. When the intended victim then visits the website on Arc, they could unknowingly download the hacker's malware. And as the researcher explained, it's pretty easy to get user IDs for the browser. A user who refer someone to Arc will share their ID to the recipient, and if they also created an account from a referral, the person who sent it will also get their ID. Users can also share their Boosts with others, and Arc has a page with public Boosts that contain the creatorIDs of the people who made them. 

In its post, the Browser Company said xyzeva notified it about the security issue on August 25 and that it issued a fix a day later with the researcher's help. It also assured users that nobody got to exploit the vulnerability, no user was affected. The company has also implemented several security measures to prevent a similar situation, including moving off Firebase, disabling Javascript on synced Boosts by default, establishing a bug bounty program and hiring a new senior security engineer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-arc-browser-that-lets-you-customize-websites-had-a-serious-vulnerability-133053134.html?src=rss