Tag Archives: Technology & Electronics

Elon Musk says xAI will open source its Grok chatbot this week

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According to Elon Musk, xAI will open source its Grok chatbot. The founder of the company, whose AI assistant is available to Premium+ subscribers on X, hasn't revealed any other details about the decision, which is slated to take effect this week.

It's hardly the first time a Musk company has opened up access to its knowhow. Tesla open sourced its patents a decade ago, and now practically every major car manufacturer has adopted its electric vehicle charging connector. X, meanwhile, published the code that powers its "For You" algorithmic feed last year, though we didn't learn much from it.

As The Wall Street Journal points out, Musk may be hoping that, by letting third-party developers and researchers dig into Grok's code, there could could be an increased uptake of the model. The developer community may also provide feedback that could be used to improve Grok.

Open sourcing Grok may also be seen as a dig at OpenAI. Earlier this month, Musk sued the ChatGPT maker, a company he co-founded, for allegedly prioritizing profits and ditching its original not-for-profit mission. The suit described OpenAI as a “closed-source de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion into OpenAI and has a 49 percent stake. OpenAI bit back at Musk by claiming that he wanted to merge the company with Tesla and become its CEO.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-says-xai-will-open-source-its-grok-chatbot-this-week-141615678.html?src=rss

Apple’s AirPods Pro are back to a low of $190

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Spring is coming, and with it comes many opportunities to put your earbuds in and go on a sunny walk reminiscent of a movie montage. If you're looking for an updated pair that won't cost too much, there's good news: The second-generation Apple AirPods Pro are currently on sale for $190, down from $249. The 24 percent discount brings these earbuds back to their record-low price. 

Apple released its second-gen AirPods Pro in late 2022, and while they're certainly not a budget wireless earbud, they offer a lot for under $200. We gave them an 88 in our initial review thanks to several internal updates from their predecessor, such as the ability to swipe for volume control (handy if your device isn't nearby). Apple also added Adaptive Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio and an H2 chip that improves noise canceling. Externally, Apple shrunk the ear tip for a better fit.

Even the case got an upgrade, with a built-in speaker that will ping if you need to find it and a hook for a lanyard (of course, the string is available separately). Speaking of locating it, the second-gen AirPods Pro case also got a U1 chip that powers Precision Finding in Find My.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-airpods-pro-are-back-to-a-low-of-190-124757007.html?src=rss

X will launch a YouTube-like video app on Samsung and Amazon TVs

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Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter (now X) in October 2022, he has thrown a lot of things at the wall and hoped they stuck (read: make money). Now, he's taking a page from YouTube and launching a video streaming service on the platform, SamMobile reports. Musk announced that the feature was "Coming soon" in a quote tweet from the DogeDesigner's account: "You can soon watch your favorite X long form videos directly on your SmartTVs."

X will launch a dedicated app that allows users to watch these videos on Samsung TV and Amazon's Fire TV. Musk recently said X would be a "video-first" platform moving forward, and this development shows that this will translate beyond the small content boxes typically available on feeds to a bigger screen. At the time, Musk also claims that eight out of ten times a person visits X, they're watching videos.

The decision follows bad news for X, with a recent Edison Research report finding that 2024 has seen a 30 percent drop in the site's usage compared to 2023. In X's continued bid to change (and remain popular), it has been leaning into resources for creators and its dwindling advertisers. One such shift came in a February announcement that the platform would roll out tools so that "advertisers on X can run ads against a curated list of premium content creators" — including pre-roll video ads, Forbes reported. As for longer videos, we'll have to wait until they roll out on Samsung and Fire TVs to see how effectively they grab users' attention.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-will-launch-a-youtube-like-video-app-on-samsung-and-amazon-tvs-120004624.html?src=rss

The Dyson V15 Detect cordless vacuum is $180 off today only

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Dyson’s higher-end vacuums might normally feel like a bit too much of a splurge, but a deal for today only brings the V15 Detect down to a more manageable price. The Dyson V15 Detect is $180 off in a deal from QVC. Normally $750, the V15 Detect is going for just $570 right now — almost as low as we saw it go during Black Friday, when it dropped to $550. But the deal will only last until the end of the day, so don’t take too long mulling it over. Dyson’s V15 Detect is a cordless, stick vacuum with an LED light on its head to expose all the unseen dirt hanging around your floors.

The Dyson V15 Detect doesn’t just suck up the dirt in your home, but it analyzes it to give you a report on what it cleaned, too. It has a LCD display on the back end that will show you a particle count and a breakdown of the different particle size groupings. The display will also let you know how much run time it has left before it needs to be recharged. Dyson says it runs on average for up to 60 minutes, and optimizes the suction and run time based on the level of mess it’s tasked with cleaning.

Fancy extra features aside, it’s a real powerhouse when it comes down to the cleaning. Engadget’s Mat Smith reviewed the Dyson V15 Detect and said it was the most powerful vacuum he’d ever used, even rivaling heavier plug-in vacuums. It has three cleaning modes to choose from: Eco, Auto and Boost. The vacuum’s brush bar has an anti-tangling design to better cope with things like hair that tend to get caught up. There’s also a separate hair screw tool that’s included with the V15’s accessories for those households that need to tackle the problem with more muscle.

The Dyson V15 Detect comes with a crevice tool to help you get into hard-to-reach areas, and it can be converted to a handheld vacuum for smaller jobs. In the box, it also comes with a wall dock, combination tool and charging adapter.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-dyson-v15-detect-cordless-vacuum-is-180-off-today-only-143614486.html?src=rss

Refurbished Sonos Era 300 speakers are $90 off in a rare deal

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Sonos has been excluding its first music speaker designed for spatial audio from previous sales events since it was released last year, so listen up: The company is selling refurbished units of the Era 300 for $359, or $91 less than retail. Yes, it's not brand new, but Sonos' refurb program has a good track record. At the moment, only the white Era 300s are available at a discount — the black version is sold out — but if you don't care about color, then you will get three free months of Apple Music with your purchase. 

We found the Era 300 to be one of the best-sounding speakers Sonos has made when we reviewed it. The model's spatial audio experience can be a hit or miss in that sometimes, the Atmos versions of songs could sound like they have too much reverb that the vocals get lost in the mix. But overall, it exhibited excellent sound quality and can make songs shine by reproducing bass, vocal and instrumentation in great detail. It makes songs sound rich, crisp and vibrant. We advised not buying the Era 300 only for the sake of spatial audio in our review, since the library of tracks that support the feature remains quite small. That could change in the future, though, especially if Apple truly does start rewarding artists for offering their music in spatial audio.

It's worth noting that Sonos recommends pairing two Era 300 speakers for "mind-bendlingly realistic surround sound," and getting the cheaper versions would make that a more affordable prospect. The model is pretty easy to set up anyway — just add the speaker to your Sonos app and then pair it with your music services of choice — so having two or more won't be an issue. In case you're looking for something else, though, Sonos is selling more refurbished devices on its website.

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/refurbished-sonos-era-300-speakers-are-90-off-in-a-rare-deal-120057132.html?src=rss

Refurbished Sonos Era 300 speakers are $90 off in a rare deal

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Sonos has been excluding its first music speaker designed for spatial audio from previous sales events since it was released last year, so listen up: The company is selling refurbished units of the Era 300 for $359, or $91 less than retail. Yes, it's not brand new, but Sonos' refurb program has a good track record. At the moment, only the white Era 300s are available at a discount — the black version is sold out — but if you don't care about color, then you will get three free months of Apple Music with your purchase. 

We found the Era 300 to be one of the best-sounding speakers Sonos has made when we reviewed it. The model's spatial audio experience can be a hit or miss in that sometimes, the Atmos versions of songs could sound like they have too much reverb that the vocals get lost in the mix. But overall, it exhibited excellent sound quality and can make songs shine by reproducing bass, vocal and instrumentation in great detail. It makes songs sound rich, crisp and vibrant. We advised not buying the Era 300 only for the sake of spatial audio in our review, since the library of tracks that support the feature remains quite small. That could change in the future, though, especially if Apple truly does start rewarding artists for offering their music in spatial audio.

It's worth noting that Sonos recommends pairing two Era 300 speakers for "mind-bendlingly realistic surround sound," and getting the cheaper versions would make that a more affordable prospect. The model is pretty easy to set up anyway — just add the speaker to your Sonos app and then pair it with your music services of choice — so having two or more won't be an issue. In case you're looking for something else, though, Sonos is selling more refurbished devices on its website.

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/refurbished-sonos-era-300-speakers-are-90-off-in-a-rare-deal-120057132.html?src=rss

Apple reinstates Epic’s developer account two days after banning it

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Apple has reversed course on its decision to ban Epic Games' developer account after it emerged European Union officials were looking into the issue. The about turn means that Epic will be able to bring its own app store to iPhones and iPads in the EU. The publisher will also be able to more easily bring Fortnite back to those devices in the bloc, nearly four years after Apple kicked the game out of the App Store over an in-app purchases battle (a decision that spurred a drawn-out legal tussle between the two sides).

"Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our DMA [Digital Markets Act] policies," an Apple spokesperson told Engadget. "As a result, Epic Sweden AB has been permitted to re-sign the developer agreement and accepted into the Apple Developer Program."

"Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account," Epic wrote in an updated blog post. "This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable. We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe. Onward!"

Apple killed Epic's developer account earlier this week, claiming that Epic was unlikely to abide by the related contractual agreements. Its lawyers described Epic as "verifiably untrustworthy."

The sudden about face surely has nothing to do with reports that EU regulators planned to question Apple over the ban. Epic claimed the decision was a "serious violation of the DMA." Under that law, which just came into effect, Apple is required to allow third-party app stores on iOS in the EU. However, Apple is still forcing companies that want to have their own app marketplace on iPhone to abide by its rules.

Also this week, the EU fined Apple almost $2 billion for suppressing third-party music streaming apps on the App Store by preventing them from telling users that they could subscribe to their services elsewhere for a lower cost than if they signed up through iOS. This was the first fine the EU has given Apple, and the bloc's third-largest financial penalty ever. Apple is appealing the fine. 

Given the even heftier penalties that companies face for failing to comply with the DMA — up to 10 percent of their annual revenue — and the EU showing it's ready to wield its power when necessary, it's not too surprising that Apple backed down from its latest scrap with Epic. Indeed, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said Apple backtracked after "a swift inquiry by the European Commission."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-reinstates-epics-developer-account-two-days-after-banning-it-184118270.html?src=rss

Apple reinstates Epic’s developer account two days after banning it

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Apple has reversed course on its decision to ban Epic Games' developer account after it emerged European Union officials were looking into the issue. The about turn means that Epic will be able to bring its own app store to iPhones and iPads in the EU. The publisher will also be able to more easily bring Fortnite back to those devices in the bloc, nearly four years after Apple kicked the game out of the App Store over an in-app purchases battle (a decision that spurred a drawn-out legal tussle between the two sides).

"Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our DMA [Digital Markets Act] policies," an Apple spokesperson told Engadget. "As a result, Epic Sweden AB has been permitted to re-sign the developer agreement and accepted into the Apple Developer Program."

"Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account," Epic wrote in an updated blog post. "This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable. We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe. Onward!"

Apple killed Epic's developer account earlier this week, claiming that Epic was unlikely to abide by the related contractual agreements. Its lawyers described Epic as "verifiably untrustworthy."

The sudden about face surely has nothing to do with reports that EU regulators planned to question Apple over the ban. Epic claimed the decision was a "serious violation of the DMA." Under that law, which just came into effect, Apple is required to allow third-party app stores on iOS in the EU. However, Apple is still forcing companies that want to have their own app marketplace on iPhone to abide by its rules.

Also this week, the EU fined Apple almost $2 billion for suppressing third-party music streaming apps on the App Store by preventing them from telling users that they could subscribe to their services elsewhere for a lower cost than if they signed up through iOS. This was the first fine the EU has given Apple, and the bloc's third-largest financial penalty ever. Apple is appealing the fine. 

Given the even heftier penalties that companies face for failing to comply with the DMA — up to 10 percent of their annual revenue — and the EU showing it's ready to wield its power when necessary, it's not too surprising that Apple backed down from its latest scrap with Epic. Indeed, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said Apple backtracked after "a swift inquiry by the European Commission."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-reinstates-epics-developer-account-two-days-after-banning-it-184118270.html?src=rss

A bundle with the PS5 and Spider-Man 2 is on sale for $400 right now

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Update 3/11/24: The PS5 bundle deal that we originally found at GameStop is now available at Amazon, Target and Walmart as well.

If you've been on the fence about snagging a PS5 and have been intrigued by Marvel's Spider-Man 2, now's a good time to considering picking up the console. You can get a bundle with either the digital or standard edition of the PS5 with the game for $50 off. That brings the bundle with the digital version of the console down to $400, while the standard-edition pairing will run you $450.

Spider-Man 2 is an excellent way to get your PS5 games collection started, particularly for new PS5 owners. It's one of our favorite games of last year and we felt it was both bigger and better than the first game in the series. If you'd prefer to play Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales before diving into the latest entry (both are great games too), you can check them out through the PlayStation Plus subscription service on the Extra and Premium tiers. However, some folks may now be joining the PlayStation club after already playing those two games on PC — I wouldn't want to wait too long for Spider-Man 2 to arrive on PC after first playing the previous entries there either.

When it comes to a modern gaming system, you can't go far wrong with the PS5. It's our pick for the best high-end gaming console, alongside the Xbox Series X/S. It has a terrific library of exclusive games at this point and it can run pretty much any PS4 game too. Along with strong performance and excellent visuals, the PS5 has one killer feature that helps it stand out from the Xbox Series X/S: the DualSense controller. The haptic feedback and adaptive triggers (i.e. varying tension levels in the L2 and R2 buttons as you pull the string on a virtual bow or drag an object) help create a feeling of immersion Xbox consoles can't quite match yet.

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/a-bundle-with-the-ps5-and-spider-man-2-is-on-sale-for-400-right-now-154506854.html?src=rss

You can get a PS5 with Spider-Man 2 for $400 right now

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Now might be a good time to snap up a PlayStation 5 if you've been on the fence and are particularly interested in playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2. A bundle of the console and the game is currently $50 off. The savings apply to both versions of the console, so you can snag an all-digital version of the PS5 with Spider-Man 2 for $400. If you'd prefer to have a standard edition of the console with a disc drive to perhaps watch Blu-ray movies on, the bundle will run you $450.

If you're a newcomer to the PlayStation ecosystem, Spider-Man 2 is an excellent way to get your collection of PS5 games started. It's one of our favorite games of last year and we felt it was both bigger and better than the first game in the series. If you'd prefer to play Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales before diving into the latest entry (both are great games too), you can check them out through the PlayStation Plus subscription service on the Extra and Premium tiers. However, some folks may now be joining the PlayStation club after already playing those two games on PC — I wouldn't want to wait too long for Spider-Man 2 to arrive on PC after first playing the previous entries there either.

When it comes to a modern gaming system, you can't go far wrong with the PS5. It's our pick for the best high-end gaming console, alongside the Xbox Series X/S.

It has a terrific library of exclusive games at this point and it can run pretty much any PS4 game too. Along with strong performance and excellent visuals, the PS5 has one killer feature that helps it stand out from the Xbox Series X/S: the DualSense controller. The haptic feedback and adaptive triggers (i.e. varying tension levels in the L2 and R2 buttons as you pull the string on a virtual bow or drag an object) help create a feeling of immersion Xbox consoles can't quite match yet.

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/you-can-get-a-ps5-with-spider-man-2-for-400-right-now-154506711.html?src=rss