Tag Archives: region|US

Google’s AI notebook can generate a podcast about your notes

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Google's latest update for its AI-powered research tool NotebookLM can turn the materials you want to pore over into a podcast-like audio discussion. The new feature called Audio Overview takes information from documents you've uploaded and then generates a "deep dive" discussion between two AI hosts. In addition to summarizing your sources, Google says the hosts will be able to find links between different topics and even banter back and forth. Based on the example the company posted with its announcement, the AI hosts sounded human enough to listen to, though you could still determine that the voices were AI-generated from their inflections and odd pronunciations of certain words. 

Since the feature is still in its experimental stages, Google admits that it has its limitations. The hosts can only speak English at this time, and they sometimes say inaccurate information, which means you will have to double check your material and ensure you didn't just learn something that's not factual. You also can't interrupt the hosts while they're speaking yet, and it still takes several minutes for NotebookLM to generate an Audio Overview for notebooks with larger files. Biao Wang, Google Labs product manager, wrote in the feature's announcement post that his team is "excited to bring audio into NotebookLM" despite those limitations, since they "know some people learn and remember better by listening to conversations."

The company launched NotebookLM back in 2023 as some sort of a digital assistant that you can ask questions about the documents you upload. In June this year, Google announced that NotebookLM has officially started running on Gemini 1.5 Pro, giving it new features and tools, and has expanded to over 200 countries and territories.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-ai-notebook-can-generate-a-podcast-about-your-notes-140004869.html?src=rss

These Anker earbuds we love are cheaper than they were during Prime Day

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Are you looking for a pair of earbuds that will let you enjoy music on your commute without costing so much you have to cut out your daily iced coffee? Well, Anker's Soundcore Space A40 wireless earbuds are 40 percent off right now, dropping to $48, down from $80. This deal brings the earbuds to a record-low price — by $1, but, hey, we'll take it. 

We named Anker's Soundcore Space A40 as our choice for best budget wireless earbuds in 2024 for quite a few reasons. For starters, the earbuds offer the quality and features — including active noise cancellation — that you typically need to spend way more money to get. They offer wireless charging, an IPX4 water-resistance rating and the ability to connect to two devices at once. The battery lasts about 10 hours on its own and 50 hours with the case. You can also get about four hours of juice after just ten minutes of charge. 

The sound quality isn't going to be the same level as what you'd get from Bose or Sony, with a slight dulling of finer details. However, the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds do offer custom EQ tools through the Soundcore app, so you can tweak it a bit. Overall, between offering ANC and pretty good comfort, these earbuds are a steal at this price. 

October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon’s (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you’re eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here’s what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event.

When is October Prime Day 2024?

Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October.

What is October Prime Day?

October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day.

How long is October Prime Day?

In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/these-anker-earbuds-we-love-are-cheaper-than-they-were-during-prime-day-135034318.html?src=rss

iFixit wants to fix the soldering iron

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iFixit embodies the spirit of “screw it, I’ll just do it myself” that has always been a trait of some tech enthusiasts. As one of the Right to Repair movement's proponents, the company is now flexing its muscles with an electronics product of its very own. FixHub is a USB-C powered soldering iron designed to help fix whatever's on your workbench (and be easily fixable itself). The iron is joined by a 55Wh battery pack which acts as a stand and temperature control, ensuring you can fix things wherever you go.

Founder Kyle Wiens explained FixHub was born of frustration with soldering irons, and their limits. He was annoyed that he had to drag an extension cord out on the street to fix his car stereo. So the iFixit team set about looking for a way to improve what has traditionally been an unsophisticated tool. That includes making it smarter, more flexible and easily repairable.

The 100 watt iron can reach your desired soldering temperature in just five seconds. Nestled inside the iron’s body is an accelerometer which can detect if the iron is idle and in its holder. If it does, it will automatically set it to cool down — hopefully wringing extra life out of the tip of the iron. And if the iron falls out of your hand it’ll cut power to hopefully prevent any nasty accidents. There’s also an LED ring on the body that’ll tell you when the iron is cool enough to touch, warming up, or ready to go.

Image of iFixit's Fix Hub soldering iron and battery pack.
Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget

You can use the iron with any USB-C power source that can output 20W, but it’ll stay set at the factory default temperature of 660f/350c. For more control (and portability), you’ll need to grab the FixHub Power Station, the company’s new 55Wh battery pack. It’ll output up to 100W at once, with enough juice to run two irons simultaneously, or one iron while recharging another USB-C device. Up front, you’ll get a display and a turn dial to let you control the iron’s temperature should you need to tweak it.

This being iFixit, both products are modular and repairable, with the usual commitment to ensuring easy serviceability. The packaging even contains an iFixit screwdriver that will let you disassemble both products as and when required. The hope is that you’ll still be fixing your electronics with one of these in hand for decades to come.

iFixit will begin shipping its FixHub products on October 15 in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. The Smart Soldering Iron will set you back $80, while the Soldering Station, which includes the soldering iron and the battery pack, costs $250. You can also pick up the Soldering Toolkit for $300, which will include the above, plus lots of accessories and materials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ifixit-wants-to-fix-the-soldering-iron-130040690.html?src=rss

Meta and the Mental Health Coalition launch a data-sharing program to reduce violating suicidal content

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September marks Suicide Prevention Month, a time to recognize the people impacted by suicide and suicidal thoughts, as well as the importance of working together to raise awareness and take preventive steps. A new collaboration aims to fulfill the latter, with Meta teaming up with the Mental Health Coalition to create Thrive, a signal-sharing program. Thrive should allow participating companies to send signals about content focused on self-harm or suicide to each other, thus locating and investigating the same or similar posts more easily. Snap and TikTok join Meta as founding members.

Thrive will initially work through companies providing hashes (codes corresponding to the violating content). Each one will only provide information about the image or video and shouldn't include specific information about users or the account. Meta says it will prioritize content that is graphic or depicting or promoting viral challenges around suicide or self-harm.  

Meta announced the news in a statement and shared it's providing Thrive's technical infrastructure. The company, which has been far from a shining example in preventing harm on its site, also acknowledged the need for cross-platform collaboration. "Unfortunately this content isn't limited to any one platform — especially when it comes to viral challenges — and it's imperative that the technology industry works together to help prevent it from spreading," said Antigone Davis, vice president of Global Safety at Meta. 

Thrive's director, Dr. Dan Reidenberg, will oversee the program, stating, "The integration of signal sharing, coupled with cross-industry collaboration and moderated by an independent and neutral intermediary, represents a major breakthrough in industry collaboration and public protection on the global, public health crisis of suicide and ultimately save lives."

In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 or you can simply dial 988. Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 (US), 686868 (Canada), or 85258 (UK). Wikipedia maintains a list of crisis lines for people outside of those countries.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-and-the-mental-health-coalition-launch-a-data-sharing-program-to-reduce-violating-suicidal-content-124446825.html?src=rss

Microsoft lays off another 650 Xbox employees as part of its Activision deal

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After slashing 1,900 jobs across Xbox and Activision earlier this year, Microsoft is laying off another 650 employees, according to an internal memo seen by The Verge. The cuts are again related to its Activision Blizzard acquisition and will mostly affect corporate and supporting functions, Xbox head Phil Spencer told employees. 

"We have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming... to organize our business for long term success," Spencer wrote. "No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today." 

Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard in October 2023, following a 21-month battle with regulators in the US and UK. To clear the deal with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, Microsoft agreed to sell its cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft so that titles will appear on multiple game-streaming services. 

Since then, the company has closed multiple game studios, including Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games and Roundhouse Games. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-lays-off-another-650-xbox-employees-as-part-of-its-activision-deal-123042523.html?src=rss

Polaris Dawn astronauts successfully perform the first commercial spacewalk

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Polaris Dawn astronauts Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis have successfully exited the confines of their Crew Dragon vehicle to perform the first ever commercial spacewalk on September 12. SpaceX and the Polaris crew started preparing for the event at 6:01AM Eastern time, checking that all their gear was in order and putting on the SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits that all four of them have to wear, because opening the Dragon's hatch will expose them to outer space. Pure oxygen was pumped into the suits to check for leaks before all the air was let out of the vehicle and before Isaacman opened the hatch. 

A few minutes before 7AM Eastern, Isaacman went through the hatch and exited the vehicle, with the Dragon's camera capturing his silhouette against our planet as the backdrop. He then performed a series of mobility exercises as planned — the whole point of the spacewalk was to test SpaceX's new EVA suits — before going back into the capsule. "Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do," he said as he emerged from the vehicle. "But from here, it looks like a perfect world."

After he went back to his seat, SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis geared up for her turn. She had to deal with the hatch seal bulging out a bit, but she was ultimately able to climb out of the hatch and do a series of mobility exercises like Isaacman did. Once she was done, the team closed the hatch and started repressurizing Dragon to equalize the atmosphere inside before checking the cabin for any leaks. By 7:55AM, Dragon's repressurization was complete, marking the completion of today's spacewalk. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/polaris-dawn-astronauts-successfully-perform-the-first-commercial-spacewalk-120048616.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Everything we know so far about Nintendo’s next console

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The Nintendo Switch is now over seven years old and due for a refresh, even if the storied console maker isn’t chasing technical specs, like its rival. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors (again, I’d wager real money it won’t be called that) have been bouncing around for years, even. Sometimes they teased DLSS, NVIDIA’s “deep learning supersampling” upscaling tech to add polish and higher resolution to existing Switch games. Other times, rumors just ended up being the OLED Switch — largely the same console as the original.

Will this be something like the Wii? Another left turn, console wise? Or something evolutionary, like the Wii U or GameBoy Color. It’s unlikely the company will ditch the hybrid form-factor as it effectively married home and portable consoles together — and is probably a huge reason for the Switch’s success.

We’re expecting it to be backwards compatible with the Switch’s game library, while Nintendo’s account system management should make it smoother to swap between console generations than in the past. Crucially, when will it launch? While it’s mostly speculation, Nintendo’s next console could arrive March 2025, but couch that with the necessary levels of skepticism.

We’ve pulled together all the reports, leaks and rumors right here.

— Mat Smith

Ultimate Ears Everboom review

Google searches now link to the Internet Archive

The Apple Watch Series 10 deserves more than 18-hour battery life

You’ll be able to create AI clips from text, still images and existing video.

Adobe’s Firefly AI video generation tools will arrive in beta later this year. Like many things related to AI, the examples are equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying as the company slowly integrates tools built to automate much of the creative work done by folks who buy its software. The company, of course, reiterates that these tools are supplementary. Of course!

Continue reading.

TMA
Associated Press

With even Fox News and senior Republican figures admitting Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday night’s presidential debate, some supporters of former president Trump are chasing the same old conspiracy theories: an earpiece used during debates. A tale as old as 2012, the same accusations were cast at President Joe Biden in 2020, at Hillary Clinton in 2016 and at Barack Obama in 2012. However, internet sleuths’ finds boiled down to a Kickstarter startup called Nova and earring-styled earpieces that never quite made it beyond vaporware. We detangle the nonsense.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-700-ps5-pro-111538227.html?src=rss

How to watch Polaris Dawn astronauts attempt the first commercial spacewalk

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Two of Polaris Dawn's four astronauts could make history today by performing the first ever commercial spacewalk at around 700 kilometers (435 miles) above our planet. Jared Isaacman, the mission leader and funder, and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis will leave the confines and safety of the Crew Dragon capsule for 15 and 20 minutes each. The other two crew members, Scott Poteet and Anna Menon, will stay inside the vehicle to monitor the spacewalkers' status and make sure everything's in order. SpaceX will stream the event live on its website and on X starting at 4:50AM Eastern time. In case the spacewalk has to be called off, the astronauts will have another opportunity on September 13 at the same time. 

As The New York Times explains, the Crew Dragon has no airlock like the International Space Station does, so the astronauts will have to let the all the air out of the vehicle before opening one of its hatches. All four will have to wear the company's extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, which are upgraded and tougher versions of its suits for intravehicular activity (IVA). 

SpaceX's EVAs come with new joints that can flex and rotate, thereby providing greater mobility. Their helmets are equipped with a heads-up display (HUD) and camera, and the spacesuits as a whole have a Faraday layer that can protect them from electric fields. The Polaris Dawn crew's spacewalk will put the suit to the test as they subject it to the harsh environment of outer space while conducting mobility tests. "The development of this suit and the execution of the spacewalk will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions as life becomes multiplanetary," the Polaris Dawn's website reads. The whole operation, from the beginning until the astronauts close the hatch to repressurize Crew Dragon, will last for two hours.

The civilian mission launched in the early hours of September 10 after multiple delays. In addition to accomplishing the first commercial spacewalk, the mission has other objectives, including sending a crew farther than any Dragon mission before and farther than anybody has been since the Apollo program, even reaching parts of the Van Allen radiation belt. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/how-to-watch-polaris-dawn-astronauts-attempt-the-first-commercial-spacewalk-074548007.html?src=rss

Disney+ Basic is only $6 for three months in this limited-time deal

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You can save big on a Disney+ subscription if you can live with some ads. New and returning customers can get a Disney+ Basic (with ads) subscription for $2 monthly for three months. That tier is currently $8 per month and includes all Disney+ content.

A Disney+ Basic (with ads) subscription unlocks all of the platform’s series and movies. That includes Disney-branded originals, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, The Simpsons and National Geographic (among others). It even has Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) for the Swiftie in your life.

As for the fine print, the subscription will auto-renew at the full price after three months unless you cancel first. And that tier is about to get more expensive, increasing to $10 monthly starting on October 17. So, set a reminder to cancel if you only want to plow through Andor, the WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along or The Acolyte’s first and only season before your three cheap months run out.

The deal is only eligible for those 18 or older and expires on September 27. If $2 streaming tickles your fancy, head to the Disney+ website to sign up or reactivate your subscription.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/disney-basic-is-only-6-for-three-months-in-this-limited-time-deal-070055707.html?src=rss

Steam Families library sharing is live, and you can all play at the same time

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Following a beta test earlier this year, Steam Families is now live with a new way for relatives to be connected on the gaming portal. Up to five family members can be invited into a group, which will grant access to a shared family library. Each person can create their own save files and collect their own achievements for games in the family library.

The marquee development with the new family feature is that multiple people within the group will be able to play games from the shared library at the same time. And if you own multiple copies of a game, then multiple people can be playing that title at once. The caveat with family sharing is that a game developer may opt not to support the feature. Steam maintains a list of the titles that currently have family sharing enabled.

Steam Families also folds in the features of the old Steam Family View, where the adults can monitor and limit what the children in the group can do on the platform. Any adult in the family will be able to restrict kids' access to Steam's store, communities or chat. They can also set playtime limits, approve extensions to the limits and recover a child's account if the password is lost.

This type of family sharing plan doesn't always reflect a person's home environment, and Steam does have some restrictions on Steam Families' use. Adults can leave a family group at any time, but have to wait a year before they can join or create another family. Also, the Steam accounts need to be in the same country to join a family group.

Valve has a full FAQ on its Steam support page detailing the limitations of Steam Families and how to restrict the games kids in your family have access to.

Update, September 12, 1:40PM: This story was updated after publish with additional information on Steam's FAQ for its families feature.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-families-library-sharing-is-live-and-you-can-all-play-at-the-same-time-231044311.html?src=rss