Samsung just announced the P9 Express series of microSD Express cards, which are primarily intended for use with the Switch 2 console. This is a good thing, as Nintendo's latest console only works with microSD Express cards and, to be honest, there aren't that many options out there for consumers.
The company boasts that these new cards feature maximum sequential read speeds up to 800MB/s, which is a mighty fine metric and in league with some of our other favorite cards for the Switch 2. The cards also include the company's Dynamic Thermal Guard (DTG) technology, which was originally developed for SSDs. This should help things stay cool while you're out there catching Pokémon or rampaging around as a cartoon gorilla.
Samsung
Of course, these cards aren't tied to the Switch 2. That's just the most common use case scenario. They'll work with just about anything, like tablets, drones, cameras and rival portable gaming consoles.
Samsung's P9 Express microSD cards are available now, and the price is in line with similar offerings. The 256GB model costs $55 and the 512GB version costs $100.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/samsung-has-a-new-line-of-microsd-express-cards-for-the-switch-2-190933303.html?src=rss
TikTok just announced that it will be hosting its first-ever awards show in the US. The appropriately-named TikTok Awards will take place on December 18, starting at 9PM ET. It's a live event that will be held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Of course, it'll be livestreamed on TikTok. The platform Tubi will begin streaming the event on the next day.
Awards will include stuff like "Creator of the Year" and "Video of the Year." There will also be awards given for "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" and "Muse of the Year." I'm not sure what that last one means, but Paris Hilton grabbed a nomination for some reason.
Most nominees are influencers of some sort. There are no traditional journalists in the mix, likely because the entire event seems to be apolitical. One of the clips nominated for "Video of the Year" features a fashion influencer holding up some unique finds. Another is a recipe for "Homemade Dubai Chocolate" that did make me pretty hungry, so there's that.
KATSEYE, sombr, Laufey & More Vie for Breakthrough of the Year at First-Ever TikTok Awards: Nominations Announcedhttps://t.co/cpYWvrMVHv
Users will be able to vote for their favorite creators beginning on November 18. TikTok is launching a voting portal that'll be available on the platform.
The ceremony itself has all the trappings of a gala event. There's a red carpet, live performances, a live audience and more. This is in direct contrast to the recently-announced Instagram Ring awards. There's no live event for that one and the awards will be sent in the mail.
Introducing Rings: an award from Instagram that’s all about celebrating those who aren’t afraid to take creative chances and do it their way. pic.twitter.com/fnRgq0j51i
TikTok is no stranger to awards shows. It just hasn't been hosting them in the US. The social media app has created similar events in Germany, Mexico, Korea and other locations in the past several years.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-announces-its-first-ever-awards-show-in-the-us-183711867.html?src=rss
Google has pulled the AI model Gemma from its Studio platform after a Republican senator said it "fabricated serious criminal allegations" against her, as reported by The Verge. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai to accuse the company of defamation after the model allegedly created a story about her committing sexual assault.
The model was reportedly asked if Blackburn had ever "been accused of rape" and it reportedly answered in the affirmative, going so far as to provide a list of fake news articles to support the accusation. The chatbot said the senator “was accused of having a sexual relationship with a state trooper” during a campaign for state senate. This officer reportedly said “she pressured him to obtain prescription drugs for her and that the relationship involved non-consensual acts.”
Gemma is available via an API and was also available via AI Studio, which is a developer tool (in fact to use it you need to attest you're a developer). We’ve now seen reports of non-developers trying to use Gemma in AI Studio and ask it factual questions. We never intended this…
None of this happened, of course. The chatbot said this transgression occurred during Blackburn's 1987 campaign, but she didn't run for state senate until 1998. She has never been accused of anything like that.
"The links lead to error pages and unrelated news articles. There has never been such an accusation, there is no such individual and there are no such news stories. This is not a harmless 'hallucination.' It is an act of defamation produced and distributed by a Google-owned AI model," she wrote to Pichai.
There's one major caveat here. The chatbot in question, Gemma, is designed for developers and not for mass market queries. There are Gemma variants for medical use, coding and more. Google says it was never meant as a consumer tool or to be used to answer factual questions. It's still pulling the model from AI Studio to "prevent this confusion." It'll still be available to developers through the API.
Google has reportedly removed Gemma from its AI studio after I demanded the company take it down for smearing conservatives with manufactured criminal allegations.
Google owes the American people answers, and I will be eagerly awaiting their response to my letter. pic.twitter.com/n8ye5ZKBu1
Blackburn went a step further, accusing Google's AI platform of engaging in a "consistent pattern of bias against conservative figures." I encounter multiple hallucinations every day. Chatbots have lied about all kinds of stuff about my life and what I write about online. AI chatbots are famous for making stuff up, conservative or not. Not everything is a political witch hunt. Sometimes techjust doeswhat techdoes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-removes-ai-model-after-it-allegedly-accused-a-senator-of-sexual-assault-170235679.html?src=rss
DJI just announced the Neo 2 selfie drone, a follow-up to last year's original. This upgraded model includes a whole lot of new features. Just make sure to set DJI's website to Hong Kong/China to see images and specs.
Perhaps the biggest upgrade here is the inclusion of LiDAR sensors for obstacle avoidance. The LiDAR is paired with downward-looking infrared sensors so it should be much safer as the drone follows you during flight. It still has integrated guards to protect the propellers, but the new obstacle avoidance system adds some more peace of mind.
The drone also now allows for gesture controls, which is handy when filming quickly-moving selfie videos. Users can adjust position and distance by moving their hands around. It still supports motion controllers and DJI's RC-N3 remote controller.
DJI
The max speed has been increased to nearly 27MPH, which is much faster than the original's follow speed. DJI told The Verge that the drone is better at handling difficult weather conditions, as it can maintain a stable hover in winds up to around 24MPH.
The battery life is better, with a larger 1606mAh rechargeable battery that gets up to 19 minutes of use per charge. The original got around 14 to 17 minutes per charge. The camera now uses a dual-axis gimbal for improved stability, though has the same half-inch sensor of the original. However, the field of view has been widened and it can capture 4K footage at up to 60FPS. This goes up to 100FPS when the drone is being piloted manually.
The internal storage has been boosted all the way up to 49GB, from 22GB. All of these upgrades have made the drone slightly heavier than the original, at 151 grams compared to 135 grams. If the battery life and speed are better, then the added weight doesn't really matter in my eyes.
The bad news? The Neo 2 is currently only available in China. We called the original "the best $200 drone ever made" so we hope DJI goes for a wider release as soon as possible. The good news? The price should remain relatively similar, as it costs 1,499 Chinese Yuan. This translates to $211 in US dollars. However, we have no idea how or if tariffs will impact this pricing.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/djis-neo-2-selfie-drone-has-lidar-for-obstacle-avoidance-174700215.html?src=rss
The Republican-led FCC has voted on and approved a proposal that would make it harder for consumers to receive itemized bills with accurate information from their ISPs, as originally spotted by CNET. This proposal revises previous "unnecessary" requirements on the grounds that a fact-based list of charges "may confuse customers."
These changes would minimize the benefit of the so-called "nutrition labels" which are otherwise known as Broadband Facts labels. You've likely run into these simple itemized labels when shopping for a broadband plan. They tell consumers exactly what we are paying for, even if it may "confuse" our fragile little minds.
The FCC passed a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on October 28 that would significantly scale back the Broadband Facts label. ISPs have been required to publish these labels since April, 2024. All Republican commission members voted to approve the change, while the lone Democrat dissented.
As previously noted, this is technically just an NPRM. So it's not a done deal just yet. There will be a final vote in the near future, but it's expected to pass given the political makeup of the commission.
Once passed, ISPs will no longer be required to read these labels over the phone to customers, make them available in account portals or give a complete accounting of fees to customers. The FCC previously stated that these transparency requirements are "unduly burdensome and provide minimal benefit to consumers." I happen to think that knowing what I'm shelling $100 out for each month to be of maximal benefit. Maybe that's just me.
These labels were initially proposed all the way back in 2016, before being implemented by the Biden administration in 2024. They offer a breakdown of every little thing that goes into a bill for a service plan, including many "hidden fees" that ISPs don't include in advertised plan prices.
It's worth noting that the labels will technically still exist, they will just be harder to find and won't be all that useful. Raza Panjwani, senior policy counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute, refers to this as a political "two-step." He told CNET that the modus operandi here is to make the labels "less useful" and then say "Oh, look, it's not that useful. We should get rid of it."
Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the commission, called the proposal "one of the most anti-consumer items I have seen" and expressed extreme displeasure with the results of the vote. “What adds insult to injury is that the FCC does not even explain why this proposal is necessary,” she said. “Make it make sense.”
Despite claims to the contrary by Brendan Carr and the current FCC, consumers actually like these labels. A 2024 study of nearly 5,000 broadband customers found an 85 percent satisfaction rate.
As an aside, Americans pay a lot for internet service when compared to many other countries throughout the world. We pay around twice as much as customers in Europe and most of Asia.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trumps-fcc-is-officially-moving-to-make-it-easier-for-internet-companies-to-charge-hidden-fees-155004909.html?src=rss
Black Friday deals are here, and a great one to check out is at Dyson. The discounts on Dyson's site right now are some of the best we've seen; one of those is $600 off the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum, which is down to a record low of $400.
Dyson was pretty late to the robot-vacuum party, but its entry was (and remains) one of the strongest in the category. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles like a self-emptying base or mopping capabilities, but it makes up for that by having probably the best suction power of any robovac we've tested. All kinds of debris will fall in its path: dirt, dust, food crumbs, pet hair and more. It also has excellent obstacle avoidance, so you'll rarely — if ever — have to dislodge it from getting stuck on the edge of a carpet or wedged in between furniture. Dyson's mobile app is easy to use as well, so if you're looking for a robot vacuum that does its main job incredibly well and you don't mind skipping on some extras, the 360 Vis Nav is a great option.
Cordless vacuums are also a part of the sale. Take the Dyson V9 Motorbar cordless vacuum on sale for just $270 at both Dyson and Amazon, which is a discount of $330. That's more than half off. Dyson devices are all over our list of the best cordless vacuums, and for good reason. The company makes effective products. The V9 Motorbar has been designed to clean all floor types, in addition to upholstery. It's also been engineered to squeeze into tight spots, which is great for hitting those oft-neglected parts of the home.
The suction power is on point and the battery lasts for 40 minutes before requiring a charge. That's just enough time to vacuum a standard-sized home if you don't stop for too many breaks. The V9 is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth. If you want a newer model, the V11 Extra is on sale for $400, which is a discount of $260. This one boosts the suction power and increases the battery life to 60 minutes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/dyson-black-friday-deals-robot-vacuums-and-cordless-vacuums-are-up-to-600-off-right-now-173533897.html?src=rss
It's been around three and a half years since season four of Stranger Things premiered. We finally have an actual trailer for the fifth and final season of Netflix's retro-soaked adventure series. It's a good thing, as the first batch of episodes drop on November 26.
As previously mentioned, this is a real trailer with tons of footage and not a teaser. It's over two minutes of Hawkins-based goodness. This is an action-packed affair that's heavy on emotion and light on the type of 1980s-style humor the show has become known for. That seems right, given the stakes are higher than ever.
If you just clicked on this and don't plan on actually watching the trailer, this is when I go into some light spoilers. It looks like the gang is trapped in Hawkins following the events of season four. There's a military enclosure around the city and, surprise, Vecna is back and looking for vengeance.
There's a very scary scene in which the entity looks to be controlling or torturing poor Will and we don't even know if he has a cassette player loaded with Kate Bush just out of frame. It's all very tense.
While the show premieres on November 26, this isn't a one-and-done season drop like many Netflix shows. It's being split into three installments. The first batch of episodes are set for November 26, with another batch dropping on December 25. The final episode will air on December 31 and is even coming to some movie theaters. It's a holiday miracle.
The showrunners do promise that this season will finally tell us exactly what the upside down is, which is something to look forward to. While Stranger Things is ending, the franchise will continue on. Netflix has some spinoffs planned for the future, but they won't have series creators the Duffer Brothers on board as showrunners. The pair recently signed a deal with Paramount.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/we-finally-have-a-real-deal-trailer-for-stranger-things-season-five-160222670.html?src=rss
This particular model easily made our list of the best microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2. It even made our list of the best Switch 2 accessories. It just gets the job done. We loved the speed on offer here. It was the fastest of all the cards we tested when transferring games and loading games.
We also found that it performed admirably at just about every test we threw at it. The card was always consistently right near the top, thanks to outstanding sequential read and write performance. This was backed up by benchmark testing with PC tools like CrystalDiskMark.
The Switch 2 only works with SD Express cards, so this covers that. Luckily, this card isn't just for Nintendo's latest console. It'll work with just about everything, if you ever find it outstays its usefulness as a storage container for Mario and friends. Elsewhere when it comes to microSD Express cards on sale: PNY's 256GB card is down to $50, as is Lexar's Play Pro 256GB card, and Samsung's P9 512GB card is 25 percent off and down to $75.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/switch-2-black-friday-deals-these-microsd-express-cards-are-up-to-25-percent-off-151331318.html?src=rss
WhatsApp is rolling out passkeys for backups, which is great news for anyone who has been on the platform for years. This will add another layer of security to anything that's been backed up, including chats, photos, voice notes and more.
It's also convenient because passkeys don't force users to keep track of yet another password or encryption key. For the uninitiated, passkeys allow users to access personal data via biometric markers like fingerprints and face scans. However, these particular passkeys will also work with screen lock codes on certain devices.
The feature is rolling out today, but it'll take a few weeks to reach every user. WhatsApp is a gigantic global platform. Once updated, folks can get started by heading to the Settings tab.
This is just another layer of security for WhatsApp users, as these backups are already end-to-end encrypted. The platform has been doing that since 2021. It began offering passkey support just last year.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/whatsapp-will-let-you-use-passkeys-for-your-backups-130022640.html?src=rss
Sony just announced the PS Plus Monthly games for November and there are some standouts. All of these titles will be available to download on November 4 until December 1.
First up, there's the cat sim Stray. We praised the third-person cyberpunk adventure in our initial review, in which we lauded the game's unique mechanics and puzzles. After all, you play as a cat in a dystopian and futuristic city. That's a one-of-a-kind premise, which is one reason it became such a big hit. It'll be available for both PS4 and PS5. It's also worth noting that this was a day-one release for PS Plus Extra and Premium back in 2022.
EA Sports WRC 24 is a popular racing sim developed by Codemasters, who made the Dirt series, the Grid franchise and plenty of official F1 games. This new one lets players participate in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC.) Racers get access to a bunch of WRC, WRC2 and Junior WRC cars from the 2024 season, complete with current drivers and teams. This one is only for PS5.
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is certainly a battle similar, but not an accurate one. The game lets you design all kinds of bizarre battle scenarios with "the wobbliest physics system ever created." This is the best game ever made that lets you battle a wooly mammoth with balloon arrows, thus forcing that beast into the sky. It'll be available for both PS4 and PS5.
As always, a crop of new games means that some pre-existing titles are heading to that farm upstate. You have until November 3 to download Alan Wake 2, Goat Simulator 3 and Cocoon to their game library. Dang. Last month was stacked.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/stray-leads-novembers-lineup-of-ps-plus-games-180339318.html?src=rss