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Even Realities’ G2 smart glasses can be controlled with a smart ring

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Even Realities is releasing the next version of its lightweight smart glasses, and this time it’s pairing them with an entirely new device that will act as both a controller and health tracker. The Even G2 Display Smart Glasses are a more refined version of the G1 smart glasses, and you'll be able to interact with them without having to touch the frames or uses voice commands thanks to the new Even R1 Smart Ring.

The G2 features an updated version of the Even Realities' HAO optical engine (a combination of micro-LED projectors, waveguides and digitally surfaced lenses), that still displays text in bright green, but now with added depth and sharpness. For example, Even Realities says the new glasses can display pop-ups like AI prompts and notifications at a different depth from the glasses' normal interface, so you don't lose the context of whatever you're reading. The G2 also supports a wider range of prescription lenses (from -12 to +12 diopters), making them more accessible to people who already wear glasses.

In comparison to the G1, Even Realities says the G2 has 54 percent slimmer temples and, in a first for the company, is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance. The G2 also gets two days of battery life in comparison to the G1's one and a half days, and its charging case can provide up to seven full charges.

A ceramic and titanium R1 smart ring with a flat side.
A ceramic and titanium R1 smart ring with a flat side.
Even Realities

While the G2 glasses can still be controlled by tapping a built-in touchpad or using voice commands, the R1 Smart Ring will let you interact with the smart glasses without moving your arm. The R1 is made from ceramic and medical-grade stainless steel, and features a flat touchpad surface for activating the G2's interface. Besides a touch sensor for navigation, the R1 also includes an optical heart rate sensor and accelerometer for tracking your heart rate and steps, which can be viewed on the G2. While less technically advanced than the Neural Band Meta included with the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses, Even Realities ring seems like it can make controlling its glasses similarly discrete, while being useful in its own right as a health tracker.

Even Realities is also adding a new AI skill alongside its glasses and ring. The G2 supports the same translation, notifications and teleprompter features as the company's last model, but this time includes a feature called "Conversate" that attempts to offer AI-generated information during conversations. Even Realities says Conversate can provide explanations, context and follow-up questions during a conversation, and then generate a summary and key points once you're finished talking. The whole thing sounds a bit distracting, but might be something you have to demo to understand.

A pair of Even G2 Display Smart Glasses in a charging case.
A pair of Even G2 Display Smart Glasses in a charging case.
Even Realities

That extra layer of complication seems inherent to the pitch for both the G2 glasses and the R1 ring. While Even Realities has made its smart glasses more convenient, and they're definitely not trying to be a phone replacement in the same way Meta's glasses are, they do seem like they'll have more of a learning curve than the last generation.

The Even G2 Display Smart Glasses and Even R1 Smart Ring are available to order today, November 12, for $599 and $249, respectively. Even Realities says that anyone who purchases the G2 will be able to receive the R1 and other accessories for 50 percent off for a limited time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/even-realities-g2-smart-glasses-can-be-controlled-with-a-smart-ring-151500125.html?src=rss

Alien: Earth has been renewed for a second season

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The Alien franchise has been decidedly hit and miss since the near-universally beloved first two movies, but it’s in a very good place at the moment. 2024’s Alien: Romulus was a magnificent return to form, and this year that good run of form continued in the series’ first TV show, Alien: Earth, which has been renewed for a second season.

The first season wrapped up in September and ended on a pretty dramatic cliffhanger, so while it seemed pretty obvious that more episodes would be coming, it’s good to have it confirmed. Noah Hawley is once again heading up the project, and according to The Hollywood Reporter the Fargo creator has signed a multi-year deal with Disney that will see him work on the ever-expanding entertainment empire's other channels and services, including ABC and Hulu Originals, as well as continuing to produce shows for FX.

Variety reports that season two of Alien: Earth will start production in London in 2026, a pretty significant change from the debut season, which was shot in Thailand. Presumably that means we’ll be heading to some new locations in the show too, but we’ll have to wait for a trailer to find that out.

Set two years before the original Alien, Alien: Earth sees a retro-futuristic shipping vessel carrying some ominously familiar-looking extra-terrestrial cargo crash-land on Earth, where we meet a terminally ill girl who becomes the first human-synthetic hybrid. The season one cast includes Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, David Rysdahl, Adrian Edmondson, Adarsh Gourav, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Diem Camille, and Moe Bar-El.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/alien-earth-has-been-renewed-for-a-second-season-144124743.html?src=rss

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer confirms Rosalina and Bowser Jr. are in the sequel

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Following a teaser in September that confirmed the movie’s title, Nintendo and animation studio Illumination unleashed the first proper trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in a dedicated Nintendo Direct. The sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the highest-grossing movie based on video games, will hit theaters in the US on April 3.

The trailer opens with Bowser engaging in a little art therapy, which, honestly, could be really great for him. Mario can’t help put put down Bowser’s artwork, though. What a jerk. From there, the action riffs on Super Mario Galaxy as Peach and Toad use launch stars to travel to a different planet. I don’t want to give away everything that happens, so just watch the trailer. The visuals, as you’d expect from Illumination, look terrific.

The trailer also confirms the addition of two fan-favorite characters this time around: Rosalina (who takes out a giant robot with her abilities) and Bowser Jr, who is taking his father’s place as the sequel’s villain. Rosalina is played by Brie Larson, while Benny Safdie voice Bowser Jr.

An extra clip after the trailer shows Rosalina reading a story about Princess Peach to a group of Lumas. Another features Bowser Jr. promising that “the Bowser name shall be feared once more.” Ominous!

However, the Direct didn’t include any indication of Yoshi appearing in the film. An Easter egg at the end of the first movie showed Yoshi’s egg cracking. Plus, a Pillsbury cookie box — of all things — all but confirmed Yoshi would be in the movie, while hinting at the inclusion of Princess Rosalina and Bowser Jr. We’ll perhaps have to wait until the next trailer to get a glimpse of Mario’s dino pal, who’ll probably be green even though everyone knows in their heart blue Yoshi is the best Yoshi.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-trailer-confirms-rosalina-and-bowser-jr-are-in-the-sequel-142815627.html?src=rss

New streaming app Coda Music is rolling out tools for labeling and blocking AI-generated tunes

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At this point, the streaming music landscape feels pretty well settled. Giants like Spotify, Amazon, Apple and YouTube duke it out at the top, while plenty of other players like Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer try their best to stand out from the pack. Somewhat surprisingly, though, a new player emerged in September. Coda Music used the recent backlash around Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek as a way to differentiate itself from the number one streamer, calling out Ek’s controversial funding of defense technology firm Helsing earlier in the year. (Spotify’s refusal to stop airing ICE recruitment ads certainly hasn’t helped the platform, either.)

Today, the fledgling service is announcing a new feature that feels designed to answer another of the recent Spotify controversies: AI slop music flooding the platform. In response, Coda Music is launching AI identification tools with the purpose of finding and labeling songs that weren’t composed by actual humans.

There are a few prongs to Coda’s approach. For starters, any artist added to Coda will be reviewed for AI origins, and their profile will be labeled “AI Artist” so that listeners know what they’re getting into. Coda is also letting users flag profiles of artists if they suspect the music is AI-generated; the company will then review them and label them if necessary.

Finally, there’s a toggle in settings that just lets you turn off AI artists entirely. Obviously, how useful this setting is will depend on how good Coda gets at labeling AI-created music as such, but I can definitely see the appeal in just flipping that to “off” and avoiding as much slop as possible.

Besides its stance on AI and the assurance that the company does not “invest in war,” there are a few other differentiators about Coda Music. The company says that it currently paying the “highest per-stream rate” in the industry — while at the same time, it acknowledges that no one is paying enough to artists. “The real problem isn’t how much is paid per stream, it’s that streaming alone doesn’t pay enough,” the company’s website says. “And minor improvements to a fundamentally flawed per stream model will not help.”

To that end, the company also lets users pick an “independent or qualifying artist” who gets $1 of their monthly subscription fee. Sure, it’s only a dollar, but it’s the kind of thing that sweetens the pot at least a little bit for musicians.

And Coda has good reason to want to make itself visible to users and artists alike. The last major differentiator for Coda is the company’s ambitions to turn its app into a social, music-sharing feed where you get recommendations from humans rather than algorithms. To that end, users can share anything from the app in their feed, and it also allows you to share external links and photos as well (go ahead and post your blurry images from that NIN concert!).

The app’s home page prominently features fan-made playlists and recommended users to follow in addition to the usual suggestions based on what you’re listening to already. And there’s a social tab where you can see posts from people you follow; share songs, artists or albums; and see posts from artists you follow. That last part is key, as Coda wants artists interacting and sharing as well as just end users.

It reminds me a little bit of the Fan Groups feature that Amazon Music just announced — and as with that feature, the problem facing Coda is getting people to start contributing to a new network rather than just posting things on whatever app they’re already using. Fortunately, music nerds love a community, so it’ll be interesting to see if this takes off at all.

As for the new features for reporting and filtering out AI music, Coda says they’re available as of today in its iOS and Android apps. The company doesn’t have a web interface yet, but says it is coming soon. If ducking AI-generated tunes is something that catches your attention, Coda currently costs $11 a month, or $17 per month for a family plan with up to four listeners.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/new-streaming-app-coda-music-is-rolling-out-tools-for-labeling-and-blocking-ai-generated-tunes-140000530.html?src=rss

Google sues group running massive SMS scam operation

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Google has filed a lawsuit against a group of Chinese hackers running a platform called “Lighthouse” that sells phishing services for a monthly fee. The group offers clients its services to launch massive phishing and smishing (SMS phishing) campaigns. Google says the bad actors typically send out emails or text messages that link to fake websites pretending to be legitimate pages of established brands like USPS and E-Z Pass, in order to trick people into keying in their log-ins and other sensitive details. The company found at least 107 sign-in screen templates with Google branding, designed to steal people’s log-in information.

In its announcement, Google said that one million people from 121 countries have fallen victim to the online scams that used Lighthouse and that the bad actors have already stolen $1 billion. In the US alone, they’ve gotten their hands on between 12.7 million and 115 million credit card numbers. The most popular scheme involves pretending to be the USPS and telling victims that they’d have to pay for the redelivery of a package stuck at the post office.

As The Financial Times reports, Google cited data from cybersecurity company Silent Push in its lawsuit as an example, stating that Chinese criminal group “Smishing Triad” used Lighthouse earlier this year to create 200,000 fake websites. Those websites apparently received 50,000 visits a day and compromised millions of US credit cards within a 20-day period. The company is bringing claims under the US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the Lanham Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. If the company wins, it would allow Google to work with carriers and website hosts to take down the operation’s domain and servers.

In addition to filing the lawsuit, Google is also backing bipartisan bills in Congress that take aim at foreign cybercriminals. One bill would enable state and local law enforcement to use federal grant funding to investigate financial fraud targeting retirees. Another aims to establish a task force to block foreign robocalls in the US. The last one targets scam compounds, or centers that serve as bases for scam operations, and intends to provide support to the survivors who were trafficked and forced to work for those centers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-sues-group-running-massive-sms-scam-operation-133000168.html?src=rss

Watch Pixar’s new teaser for Toy Story 5

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In a new teaser trailer for Toy Story 5, Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang face what may be their ultimate enemy in the war for a child's play time: electronics.

With INXS's Never Tear Us Apart playing in the background, we see the delivery of a parcel to Bonnie Anderson, Andy's younger sister, who inherited his toys back in Toy Story 3. Our heroes including Rex, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, Woody, Buzz and Jessie, look on in horror as she opens the package to reveal a frog-themed tablet named Lilypad. "Let's Play!" it proposes. Bonnie seems ready to do so, and possibly forget about her other pals in short order. "Is the age of toys over?" the tagline asks. 

Tablets have long succeeded classic toys, of course, but it's still a fun plot idea and likely very relatable to parents who've grown up with these films. The sequel brings back the franchise's regular cast including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack, while welcoming newcomers Conan O'Brien, Ernie Hudson and Greta Lee as Lilypad's voice. It's set to hit theaters in June 2026. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/watch-pixars-new-teaser-for-toy-story-5-130011156.html?src=rss

Gran Turismo 7’s Power Pack DLC unlocks 24-hour racing on December 4

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Sony and Polyphony Digital are rolling out a huge update for Gran Turismo 7 on December 4 in the form of a paid add-on. The Power Pack DLC for the PlayStation 5 will unlock 50 new races across 20 theme categories, including 24-hour endurance events that Le Mans fans could sink their teeth into. In previous games, the endurance events really took 24 hours to finish, though you could pause and, eventually, save mid-race, allowing you to pick up where you left off. You can also experience full-race seasons, from practicing for them to qualifying for the main events.

The DLC includes access to Gran Turismo Sophy 3.0, as well, which Sony says will provide “realistic AI behavior” and enable “intense, tail-to-nose battles that push your limits.” Sophy 2.0 was launched as an update back in 2023, offering you “a stimulating opponent that can accelerate and elevate [your] techniques and creativity to the next level.” Finally, the DLC will give you 5 million in in-game Credits. The companies have yet to reveal how much the Power Pack DLC will cost, but it will be available for download from the PlayStation Store.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/gran-turismo-7s-power-pack-dlc-unlocks-24-hour-racing-on-december-4-045454411.html?src=rss

The first permanent Pokémon theme park opens in February 2026

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PokéPark Kanto, the first permanent Pokémon theme park, will open its doors on February 5, 2026. Previous Pokémon parks and attractions existed in the past, but they were only open for a limited time. PokéPark Kanto will be located inside the Yomiuriland amusement park in Tokyo, Japan and will require an add-on pass to enter. Visitors will have to go through a “Pokémon Research Lab” building, which serves as the gateway to the park’s two sections: Pokémon Forest and Sedge Town

The Pokémon Forest is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a stretch of land with hills, paths with tall grass, rocky trails and tunnels where visitors will see Pokémon in their natural habitats. The Pokémon statues are posed to show that they’re engaging in various activities, such as battling or playing with friends.

Meanwhile, Sedge Town is the town center where visitors will find the Pokémon Center and Poké Mart, which sounds like a place where they can buy some refreshments. In addition to the main attractions, PokéPark Kanto will feature Pika Pika Paradise, a ride featuring over 30 electric-type Pokémon. There’s also Vee Vee Voyage, a carousel featuring carriages pulled by Ponyta and Rapidash, as well as balloons where visitors can ride with Eevee.

We’ve yet to see actual photos of the park, but the trailer below will give you a glimpse of what you can expect.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-first-permanent-pokemon-theme-park-opens-in-february-2026-012228856.html?src=rss

Elden Ring Nightreign’s DLC is The Forsaken Hollows, out December 3

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Elden Ring Nightreign, the co-op survival take on FromSoftware's massively successful open-world single-player game, is getting a DLC at the end of this year. The Forsaken Hollows launches on December 4, 2025. This DLC is the first big content update for the spinoff, although Nightreign did receive previous updates to add improved tuning for the two-player and solo-player experiences, as well introducing an even-more-punishing Deep of Night mode. 

The trailer shows exactly the grim, macabre setting and inventive-looking boss designs that we've come to expect from FromSoft. The Forsaken Hollows will add two more character classes for players to choose from. The book-wielding Scholar is an arcane magic user who "gains incredible advantages through battlefield observation." This seems like a good choice for the tactically-minded players, while the new Undertaker class favors faith and strength builds. There will also be a new region to explore and two new bosses.

We learned yesterday that DLC was in the works for Nightreign thanks to a mention during the earnings report from parent company Kadokawa, but it seemed the new content might not be ready until early 2026. Hopefully today's announcement will calm the players who have been review-bombing the game on Steam due to the lack of information about updates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/elden-ring-nightreigns-dlc-is-the-forsaken-hollows-out-december-3-233113937.html?src=rss

Sony made an official 240Hz PlayStation monitor with a built-in DualSense charging hook

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Sony had some new hardware to reveal during its State of Play Japan showcase on Tuesday. Along with a refreshed Japanese-only PS5 Digital Edition, the company unveiled an official PlayStation monitor that you can also hook your PC up to. It’s a 27-inch QHD display with a 240Hz refresh rate and support for HDR and variable refresh rate. However, the refresh rate is limited to 120Hz when you’re playing PS5 games.

What’s more, the monitor has a charging hook. It folds down from the rear of the display and you can place your DualSense controller on it, so you’re ready to play whenever the mood strikes. The monitor will be available in the US and Japan sometime next year. Sony hasn’t revealed how much it will cost.

The monitor follows the Pulse Elevate portable desktop speakers that Sony announced back in September. These will work with PC, Mac, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Portal and are set to arrive in 2026 as well.

The new hardware seems to be part of the company’s push to become more of a player in PC gaming. For instance, the company recently made it possible to pair a DualSense controller with more than one device at a time, making it easier to switch the connection from a PS5 to a PC and vice-versa.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-made-an-official-240hz-playstation-monitor-with-a-built-in-dualsense-charging-hook-230659339.html?src=rss