Meta is testing a new way to boost engagement on Threads using Instagram. The company is now testing the ability to cross-post photos from Instagram to Threads. Meta confirmed the experiment after a handful Threads users noticed the setting crop up in Instagram (TechCrunch was first to report the change).
According to the company, cross-posting from Instagram to Threads is optional, though users can opt to have automatically all new photo posts shared to their Threads account as well. (Those who are part of the test can tweak cross-posting settings in the Instagram app.)
Meta has been testing a number of features to boost the growth of Threads, which currently has 150 million users. The company has also experimented with cross-posting from Facebook to Threads and promotes Threads posts directly in Facebook and Instagram feeds, regardless of whether they use the app. It’s also encouraging creators to be more active on the app. Meta has been offering bonuses to creators in exchange for high-performing posts on Threads.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-testing-cross-posting-from-instagram-to-threads-234245961.html?src=rss
OpenAI is partnering with another publisher as it moves towards a licensed approach to training materials. Dotdash Meredith, the owner of brands like People and Better Homes & Gardens, will license its content for OpenAI to train ChatGPT while the publisher will use the AI company’s models to boost its in-house ad-targeting tool.
As part of the arrangement, ChatGPT will display content and links attributed to Dotdash Meredith’s publications. It also provides OpenAI with fully licensed training material from trusted publications.
That’s a welcome change after the company got in hot water for allegedly using content for training purposes without permission. The New York Times and Alden Capital Group (owner of The Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and the Orlando Sentinel) have sued the ChatGPT maker, accusing it of using its content without permission. Comedian Sarah Silverman and a conspiracy-mongering car salesman (the latter for different reasons) have, too.
“We have not been shy about the fact that AI platforms should pay publishers for their content and that content must be appropriately attributed,” Neil Vogel, Dotdash Meredith CEO, wrote in a press release. “This deal is a testament to the great work OpenAI is doing on both fronts to partner with creators and publishers and ensure a healthy Internet for the future.”
Before the Dotdash Meredith deal, OpenAI struck an agreement withThe Financial Times. “It is right, of course, that AI platforms pay publishers for the use of their material,” the paper’s CEO, John Ridding, said in a statement last month.
Dotdash Meredith, which also owns Investopedia, Food & Wine, InStyle and Verywell, will use OpenAI’s models to supercharge its D/Cipher ad-targeting tool. The publisher says its advertising system “connects advertisers directly to consumers based on the context of content being consumed, without using personal identifiers like cookies.” That’s an industry-wide shift on the horizon, as Google is moving to a cookie-less future — albeit later than initially advertised.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-partners-with-people-publisher-dotdash-meredith-212832821.html?src=rss
It's been a busy day of Apple news thanks to some new iPads, but the company has plenty of other M-series devices, including the iMac. Apple slotted M3 chips into its desktop computers late last year, and now the base version of the 2023 iMac is cheaper than ever. Thanks to a coupon at Amazon (make sure to clip it!), you can snap up an iMac with an M3 chip, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage for $1,149. The deal is available for the silver, pink, green and blue versions of the system.
A word of warning: while this is a decent deal on the surface, we do feel that the specs of the base 2023 iMac aren't quite up to scratch. It's difficult in this day and age to earnestly recommend a computer with just 8GB of RAM as apps become more and more demanding. That's why the iMac didn't score higher than 86 in our review.
On the plus side, the M3 chipset is very fast and the iMac's display remains terrific. Although this is a desktop system, it's lightweight, so it's not too difficult to move from one room to another or prop it up on something — the inability to adjust the screen vertically is a little disappointing.
There are some caveats to keep in mind here, but if you're looking for a nice, pretty new computer for relatively basic tasks (you're not going to be doing much gaming or video editing on a system with these specs) and don't mind splashing some cash, then this iMac might do the trick for you.
You may have heard Apple updated its top-of-the-line tablets at its Let Loose event on Tuesday. The 2024 model has some big improvements, including the new M4 chip, a “noticeably thinner and lighter” build, a superior OLED display and upgraded accessories. We broke down the key differences between the latest iPad Pro and its 2022 predecessor to help you figure out if it’s worth the (hefty) investment.
Display and dimensions
iPad Pro: 13-inch (2024) vs. 12.9-inch (2022)
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget
In Engadget’s hands-on at Apple’s “Let Loose” event, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham said the new iPad Pro’s thinner and lighter build and its Tandem OLED display are the first big changes you’ll notice when you pick up the latest model.
“In Apple’s extremely bright demo area, the iPad Pro screen showed its quality — everything was extremely clear, blacks were pitch-black and colors really popped,” he said after using it at Apple’s event. “After looking at the iPad Air display, it was obvious how much better these screens are.”
iPad Pro: 11-inch (2024 vs. 2022)
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget
Another change you’ll notice when you compare the two iPad Pros side-by-side is camera positioning. The 2024 model moves its front-facing camera to the top-center when viewed in landscape orientation. The older model used Apple’s original iPad configuration, where the camera was centered above the screen when holding it upright in portrait mode.
The new iPad Pro is also noticeably lighter and thinner than its 2022 predecessor. The 13-inch model is a mere 5.11mm (0.2 inch) thick and weighs only 579g (1.28 lbs), making it 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the 12.9-incher from 2022. Meanwhile, the new 11-inch variant is 5.3mm (0.21 inch) thick and weighs 444g (0.98 lb), making it 10 percent thinner and five percent lighter than the older one.
Considering the 2022 model was already a svelte machine, it’s no wonder we found the new iPad Pro surprisingly thin and light relative to its processing power. Speaking of which…
Processor
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget
The iPhone maker unveiled a new Apple Silicon version on an iPad instead of a Mac for the first time. The all-new M4 chip has up to a 10-core CPU configuration (four performance cores and six efficiency cores), which the company says translates to one and a half times faster performance than the M2 silicon in the 2022 model.
I say “up to” because, similar to MacBooks and some older iPad Pro models, Apple is shipping different chip variants depending on your pricing tier. The 1TB and 2TB versions of the 2024 model have that 10-core chip, while the 256GB and 512GB models drop down to a nine-core M4 with three performance and six efficiency cores.
The lower-tier and high-end M4 variants include a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a 16-core neural engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth and 16GB of RAM. So the different models don’t sound dramatically different — you just get an extra performance core in the more expensive tiers. We’ll have to wait until we get some extended time with them to see how that translates into real-world experience.
By comparison, the M2 in the 2022 iPad Pro has an eight-core CPU with four performance and four efficiency cores. It also has a 16-core Neural Engine (of course, an older version than the one in the M4), 100GB/s memory bandwidth and either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.
Accessories
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget
The new iPad Pro also has some new accessories you can’t use with the 2022 model. That includes a new Magic Keyboard that Apple claims makes “the entire experience feel just like using a MacBook.”
You can thank its bigger trackpad with haptic feedback (like on modern MacBooks) and an aluminum palm rest. The older model used a microfiber-esque material and physically clicking trackpad, so the new one should feel more solid underneath your hands and aligned with MacBooks’ look and feel.
The new Magic Keyboard also adds a new 14-key function row (also similar to a MacBook) with shortcuts for things like brightness, Spotlight search, Siri / dictation and media controls.
Meanwhile, the Apple Pencil Pro — exclusively compatible with the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air — looks much like its predecessor but adds some extra goodies. Those include a new sensor in its barrel that lets you squeeze it like the lovely little stylus it is.
The new squeeze gesture can bring up tool palettes or activate shortcuts. Third-party developers can even customize the actions for individual apps. For the first time, it also adds haptic feedback to let you know if your squeeze was accepted or if something you moved has landed in its intended spot.
The new Apple Pencil also works with Find My (another first), so you can check on its most recent location in Apple’s location app if you lose it.
Well, it can’t all be good news. With all those upgrades, Apple is once again asking you to consider paying more for a high-end tablet. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999, and the 13-inch model starts at a whopping $1,299. Those are each $200 higher than the starting prices in the 2022 model (when it was available).
But wait, it gets worse. Those prices don’t take into account the $299 (11-inch) or $349 (13-inch) you’ll pay if you want to add the new Magic Keyboard, nor does it factor in the $129 for the Apple Pencil Pro. You’ll have to pony up to make the new iPad Pro as much like a MacBook as possible: It will cost you almost what you’d pay for an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip.
On the slightly brighter side, you get more storage this time around. The 2024 iPad Pro starts with 256GB, double the 128GB in the 2022 model. Moving up from there, the other storage tiers are identical to its predecessor (ranging up to 2TB for those with Scrooge McDuck bank accounts).
Full specs comparison
Here’s a table showing the full specs comparison between the 2024 and 2022 iPad Pro models, including separate charts for the 13 / 12.9-inch and 11-inch variants.
13-inch iPad Pro (2024) vs. 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)
12.9-inch iPad Pro (2024)
12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)
Price
$1,299, $1,499, $1,899, $2,299
$1,099, $1,199, $1,399, $1,799, $2,199
Dimensions
281.16 x 215.5 x 5.1 mm
(11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20 inch)
280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm
(11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inch)
Weight
1.28 pounds / 579 grams (Wi-Fi)
1.28 pounds / 582 grams (cellular)
1.5 pounds / 682 grams (Wi-Fi)
1.51 pounds / 685 grams (cellular)
Processor
M4
M2
Display
13-inch Ultra Retina XDR
2752 x 2064 (264 ppi)
12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR
2732 x 2048 (264 ppi)
Storage
256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB
128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB
Battery
38.99 Wh
10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)
40.88 Wh
10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)
Camera
Back: 12MP, ƒ/1.8
Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4
Back: 12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 / 10MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.4
Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4
Compatible Apple accessories
Magic Keyboard (2024)
Apple Pencil Pro
Apple Pencil (USB-C)
Magic Keyboard (2020)
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Apple Pencil (USB-C)
11-inch iPad Pro (2024) vs. 11-inch iPad Pro (2022)
Meta is expanding its paid verification service for businesses, adding three new tiers to the program that offers extra perks to companies willing to pay a monthly subscription. The company began testing the service, called Meta Verified, with businesses last fall after rolling out a paid verification for individuals.
With the new plans, which are coming first to Australia, and New Zealand, Meta is offering a much wider range of services to business owners that rely on its platform. Under the new structure, the basic “standard” plan is $14.99/month. It offers a verification badge, higher ranking in search, impersonation protection, the ability to add links to images and access to customer support. (Each subscription covers a single Facebook or Instagram account, the program is expected to roll out to WhatsApp "soon.")
While that base plan is now the same price for businesses as it is for individuals, companies will pay a hefty premium for the extra perks. There are three additional tiers for business owners to choose from: the $44.99/month “plus” plan, the $119.99 “premium” plan and $349.99/month “max” plan. Each of these includes additions like the ability to add links to a Reels posts, fast-tracked customer support and more profile customization options.
Meta
The most expensive plan also expands impersonation protection to up to five employees as well as extra customer service perks. It includes a semiannual “account review,” which will consist of “personalized guidance on their content strategy.” And it allows account owners to request a phone call from a Meta customer service representative for help with account issues and other problems.
During a briefing with reporters, Meta’s VP of new monetization experiences Pratiti Raychoudhury said the expansion of Meta Verified is meant “to meet businesses where they are in their journey on our apps.” She said Meta will continue to tweak its offerings as more companies sign up for verification.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-expanding-its-paid-verification-service-for-businesses-200412634.html?src=rss
Beats might have some newaudio gear to blab about, but its older models are nothing to sniff at, especially when you can score solid deals on them. Take, for instance, the Beats Fit Pro. Those true wireless earbuds have dropped by $40 to $160. That matches the Black Friday price and it's just $10 more than the all-time low.
The Beats Fit Pro are our pick for the best workout headphones as well as our top choice for headphones for running. They're rated for IPX4 water resistance, which is always welcome to have while you're working up a sweat. They're comfortable to wear and have solid battery life (six hours plus an extra 21 hours from the charging case).
None of that would matter if the Beats Fit Pro sounded terrible, but they deliver great sound quality with the help of Adaptive EQ. Spatial audio is always a nice feature to have, while the active noise cancellation and transparency modes are solid. Multipoint connectivity is a plus too.
On the downside, we thought that the charging case felt cheap with a poor build quality. We also found it too easy to accidentally press the onboard controls. Still, if you're looking for a pair of earbuds for your workouts, you can't get much better than the Beats Fit Pro right now.
Elsewhere, the Beats Studio Pro are also on sale. At $180, they're effectively half off and just $10 more than the record low of $170.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-beats-fit-pro-wireless-earbuds-are-on-sale-for-160-right-now-190035110.html?src=rss
Google has made the 128GB Pixel Tablet available as a standalone device, without the charging dock. It costs $400, as compared to around $500 at most outlets with the dock. This is a great deal on paper, but there’s one elephant-sized caveat. We had some issues with the tablet on its own and were mostly enamored by that dock.
You can’t cast streaming content to the device without the dock, which is one major negative. We also found the camera placement to be slightly awkward, particularly when participating in video calls. The 2,560 x 1,600 LCD panel isn’t as vibrant as an OLED panel, but it gets the job done. All of the specs of this device are “just fine” but, at $400, that’s probably to be expected.
The dock brings some nifty stuff to the table, like a durable stand, fantastic speakers and, of course, charging. However, there are some things that the Pixel Tablet excels at, even without that charging dock. The battery life is superb, lasting well over 21 hours per charge at 50 percent brightness. That’ll handle even the longest international flight. We also found the tablet to be useful as a smart display, particularly if you’ve fully bought into the Google smart home ecosystem.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-buy-a-pixel-tablet-without-a-dock-for-400-if-thats-your-bag-185329549.html?src=rss
Microsoft has shuttered three ZeniMax teams: Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Studios. The company is also folding Roundhouse Games into Zenimax Online Studios. Arkane Austin is the home of Prey and Redfall, while Tango is responsible for The Evil Within, Ghostwire Tokyo and Hi-Fi Rush. Alpha Dog is the creator of Mighty Doom and Roundhouse was a support studio for ZeniMax projects.
In an email to employees, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty outlined the upheaval, stating that some workers would transition to other teams under ZeniMax's purview. Most employees, however, will be let go. Here's Booty's breakdown of the layoffs for each affected studio:
Arkane Austin – This studio will close with some members of the team joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda. Arkane Austin has a history of making impactful and innovative games and it is a pedigree that everyone should be proud of. Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game. The game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy and we will provide make-good offers to players who purchased the Hero DLC.
Alpha Dog Studios – This studio will also close. We appreciate the team’s creativity in bringing Doom to new players. Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7 and we will be turning off the ability for players to make any purchases in the game.
Tango Gameworks – Tango Gameworks will also close. We are thankful for their contributions to Bethesda and players around the world. Hi-Fi Rush will continue to be available to players on the platforms it is today.
Roundhouse Games – The team at Roundhouse Games will be joining ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS). Roundhouse has played a key role in many of our recent game launches and bringing them into ZOS to work on The Elder Scrolls Online will mean we can do even more to grow the world that millions of players call home.
Additionally, "a small number of roles across select Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will also be eliminated," Booty's email says.
In summary, at least when it comes to the games: Redfall development has been stopped completely and people who spent $100 on the game's Bite Back edition will be eligible for a partial refund to compensate for the DLC they never received. Sign ups for the refund are right here. Hi-Fi Rush will remain playable. Mighty Doom will shut down on August 7.
The remaining studios under ZeniMax Media, which is owned by Microsoft, are Arkane Lyon, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, MachineGames, ZeniMax Online Studios, and the Bethesda publishing and corporate teams. Arkane Lyon is currently building Marvel's Blade and it's the home of Deathloop and the Dishonored franchise.
This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human : to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.
Don't throw us into gold fever gambits, don't use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don't make our work environments darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we seen it before.
For now, great teams are sunsetting before our eyes again, and it's a fucking gut stab. Lyon is safe, but please be tactful and discerning about all this, and respect affected folks' voice and leave it room to be heard, it's their story to tell, their feelings to express.
Microsoft purchased ZeniMax Media — including Bethesda, id Software, Arkane and Tango — in 2021 for $7.5 billion. The acquisition marked an escalation of Microsoft's efforts to eat the entire industry: The company acquired five mid-size teams in 2018, including Compulsion Games and Ninja Theory, and by February 2019, there were 13 studios under the Xbox Game Studios banner. The ZeniMax purchase cleared regulators in 2021, setting the stage for Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard, one of the largest game producers in the world. The Activision Blizzard acquisition was the most expensive in Microsoft's history, costing around $69 billion. After nearly two years of regulatory negotiations, the purchase was cleared in February 2023.
It's not just Microsoft making the video game industry smaller. Sony, Take-Two Interactive, Tencent, Epic Games and publishers of all sizes have been gobbling up talent in a rash of post-pandemic corporate consolidation, and this has led to an avalanche of mass layoffs in the industry. In 2023, an estimated 10,500 people in video games lost their jobs, breaking previous annual layoff records. Prior to today's studio closures, roughly 9,400 video game workers had been fired in 2024, setting a pace that should outstrip last year's figures.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/arkane-austin-and-tango-gameworks-have-been-shut-down-183913558.html?src=rss
Just moments after Google announced its latest smartphone, both Amazon and Best Buy swooped in with deals to convince you to get yours from one of them. Right now, the Pixel 8a is open for pre-orders at Google's storefront, but if you go through Amazon, you'll get a physical $100 Amazon gift card once the phone ships. Purchase through Best Buy and you'll get a$100 gift card for its store, plus a one-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Whichever way you go, your new phone will ship May 14, the same day as Google's I/O developer conference.
On both Amazon and Best Buy, the offer apples to the 128GB model in any of the four colorways, including the new Aloe hue. The model with a larger 256GB capacity, a first for A-series Pixel phones, goes for $559 and also includes the $100 gift card, but only if you order it in Obsidian.
New for this latest generation of Google's most affordable smartphone is a screen that's a little brighter and smoother thanks to a higher peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. The battery is slightly larger than it was on the Pixel 7a and software improvements should help it last longer. The camera array stayed the same as with the previous generation, but a few more of Google's AI tricks, like Best Take and Magic Editor should help you get more out of what the lenses pick up.
Engadget's Sam Rutherford had a chance to check out the new Pixel 8a ahead of its release and, while a full review is still forthcoming, he said the new handset is "shaping up to once again be the mid-range Android phone to beat." And if a $100 gift card sweetens the deal for you at all, now might be a good time to pre-order. Amazon says its deal will run through 5/19 or until supplies run out, so if you want to wait to see what we think, you may have some time.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pre-order-the-google-pixel-8a-from-amazon-or-best-buy-and-get-a-free-100-gift-card-181519020.html?src=rss
It’s been a while since we’ve had an update on Blade Runner 2099, the sequel series heading to Amazon Prime Video. The cast list is starting to take shape, as Oscar-winner and all-around icon Michelle Yeoh is set to play a lead role, as reported by Variety.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Variety has a source that says Yeoh will play a character named Olwen, who has been described as a replicant near the end of her life. That’s pretty much all we know about the story, aside from the fact that it's set 50 years after Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed Blade Runner 2049. This is likely due to the fact that we’ll be nowhere near the level of tech shown in that film when we actually hit the year 2049. The original Blade Runner, after all, was set in 2019.
Franchise creator Ridley Scott is involved in some capacity, but not as showrunner. That duty falls to TV writer Silka Luisa, who recently ran the Apple TV+ adaptation of the bookShining Girls. The show was great, so color me optimistic.
As for Yeoh, what more can be said? She won a long-deserved Oscar for her work in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and has been involved with classic films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Sunshine and Tomorrow Never Dies, among many others. She spent a few seasons hamming it up on Star Trek: Discovery, and her character is getting a spinoff film that will likely release later this year. The actress also just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, so this has been a big month.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/michelle-yeoh-just-got-cast-to-lead-amazons-blade-runner-show-180312046.html?src=rss