Tag Archives: author_name|Kris Holt

Mozilla is laying off around 60 workers

Posted on by

Mozilla is the latest in a long line of tech companies to lay off employees this year. The not-for-profit company is firing around 60 people, which equates to roughly five percent of its workforce. Most of those who are leaving Mozilla worked on the product development team. The news was first reported by Bloomberg. 

“We’re scaling back investment in some product areas in order to focus on areas that we feel have the greatest chance of success,” a Mozilla spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. “To do so, we've made the difficult decision to eliminate approximately 60 roles from across the company. We intend to re-prioritize resources towards products like Firefox Mobile, where there’s a significant opportunity to grow and establish a better model for the industry.”

According to an internal memo obtained by TechCrunch, Mozilla plans to pare back investments on several products, including its VPN and Online Scrubber tool. Hubs, the 3D virtual world Mozilla debuted in 2018, is shutting down while the company is also reducing resources dedicated to its Mastodon instance.

One area into which Mozilla does plan to funnel extra resources is, unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence. "In 2023, generative AI began rapidly shifting the industry landscape. Mozilla seized an opportunity to bring trustworthy AI into Firefox, largely driven by the Fakespot acquisition and the product integration work that followed," the memo reportedly reads. "Additionally, finding great content is still a critical use case for the internet. Therefore, as part of the changes today, we will be bringing together Pocket, Content and the AI/ML teams supporting content with the Firefox Organization."

The reorganization comes after Mozilla appointed a new CEO just last week. Former Airbnb, PayPal and eBay executive Laura Chambers, who joined Mozilla's board three years ago, was appointed chief executive for the rest of this year. "Her focus will be on delivering successful products that advance our mission and building platforms that accelerate momentum," Mitchell Baker, Mozilla's former long-time CEO and its new executive chairman, wrote when Chambers took on the job.

Update 2/15 12:23PM ET: Clarifying that one of the products in which Mozilla is reducing investment is its Online Scrubber, and not the new Mozilla Monitor Plus as previously reported. The company says it "will continue to support and make investments in" Mozilla Monitor Plus.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mozilla-is-laying-off-around-60-workers-210313813.html?src=rss

Apple won’t have to make iMessage work with other messaging services, EU says

Posted on by

Apple’s blue bubbles are safe from interlopers for now. Following an investigation, European Union officials have determined that iMessage — along with Microsoft's Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising — don't hold a dominant enough position in their respective markets to be subject to stricter regulation under the Digital Markets Act. Were iMessage to be brought under the DMA rules, Apple would need to make it interoperable with other messaging services.

The three Microsoft products and iMessage meet the quantitative thresholds for regulation under the DMA. Apple and Microsoft easily clear the law's revenue and market capitalization thresholds, while the four platform services in question each have at least 45 million monthly active users in EU and north of 10,000 yearly active business users in the bloc.

However, the companies argued that iMessage, Bing et al do not qualify as gatekeeper services. In Apple's case, it claimed iMessage's "small scale relative to other messaging services" and other factors meant that it should evade the DMA's rules. Despite Google and mobile carriers pushing the EU to designate iMessage as a gatekeeper service, the bloc ultimately sided with Apple. Still, the EU's executive arm noted that it will "continue to monitor the developments on the market with respect to these services, should any substantial changes arise."

While the EU won't force iMessage to play nicely with other messaging services, Apple has creaked open the door to interoperability. The company has pledged to support the RCS messaging standard starting this year, meaning that messaging between iMessage and Android should be more secure and feature-rich. RCS texts will still be in green bubbles, however, rather than the blue of iMessage missives.

Meanwhile, Apple and Microsoft haven't avoided the DMA's clutches entirely ahead of the rules coming into force on March 7. Some of their other products are subject to the law, including Windows and LinkedIn on the Microsoft side and iOS, the App Store and Safari in Apple's case. Meta, Google, Amazon and TikTok parent ByteDance will also need to abide by the DMA. Notably, the EU has designated Meta's Messenger and WhatsApp as gatekeeper services, meaning they'll need to play nicely with other messaging apps.

Apple recently spelled out how it will open up the App Store to competitors, including third-party payment options, though rivals have called out the company's implementation of the DMA rules. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized it for adding "new junk fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don't process."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-wont-have-to-make-imessage-work-with-other-messaging-services-eu-says-153458681.html?src=rss

Tesla has won the EV charging wars

Posted on by

Stellantis is the latest manufacturer to commit to using Tesla’s NACS (North American Charging Standard). The company was the last remaining holdout among major automakers, meaning the NACS is becoming a true common standard.

According to a press release, electric vehicles from Stellantis brands (which include Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, Ram, Jeep and Alfa Romeo) will start using the NACS connector in select models next year. The automaker will also offer an adaptor for existing vehicles, meaning drivers will be able to charge using either NACS or Combined Charging System (CCS) ports.

Stellantis says its embrace of the NACS builds on its commitment with six other automakers to build a network of more than 30,000 fast charging points on highways and in urban areas in North America by 2030. These stations will support NACS and CCS.

The automaker has joined the likes of Volkswagen, GM, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes, Honda, BMW and Lucid in supporting the NACS. EV charging network operators ChargePoint and Electrify America also pledged to adopt the NACS after Tesla open sourced the connector in late 2022.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-has-won-the-ev-charging-wars-155726724.html?src=rss

Samsung gets FDA approval for a sleep apnea feature on Galaxy Watch

Posted on by

The Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to a sleep apnea detection feature on Galaxy Watch devices in the US, Samsung has revealed. The company notes this is the first approval of its kind in the US — South Korean officials previously rubberstamped the feature for use in that country.

Samsung plans to add the sleep apnea monitoring tool to compatible Galaxy Watch wearables in the third quarter of this year. It will be available via the Samsung Health Monitor app.

The feature allows those aged 22 and older who have not been diagnosed with the condition to check for signs of sleep apnea using their smartwatch and phone. It looks for signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) over a two-night monitoring period. Users will need to track their sleep for more than four hours twice over a ten-day period to use the feature.

OSA is a common, chronic condition that affects around 25 percent of men and a tenth of women in the US, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Those with the condition tend to stop breathing while they sleep, which can reduce their sleep quality, disrupt oxygen supply and lead to more daytime tiredness. Left untreated, "sleep apnea can compound the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia and stroke," Samsung notes. The company added that the feature should help more people detect moderate and severe forms of the condition, and for them to seek medical advice when they do.

Other versions of the feature, which ties into Samsung's other efforts to help its customers have a good night's sleep, have popped up in devices elsewhere. In 2020, Withings added a sleep apnea detection feature to its sleep tracking mat.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-gets-fda-approval-for-a-sleep-apnea-feature-on-galaxy-watch-172856948.html?src=rss

Get two years of NordPass Premium for only $35

Posted on by

It should go without saying that you really need to have a unique, complex password for every account and service you use. Keeping track of all those credentials manually would be an onerous task, which is why everyone could benefit from having a password manager. NordPass is one of our favorite password managers and the Premium plan is currently on sale. In particular, the two-year plan is 56 percent off at $35, plus you'll get an extra three months of access at no additional cost.

The free version of the service allows you to autosave and autofill passwords, keys and credit card details. Opt for Premium and you'll get a bunch more features for a reasonable price. For one thing, you'll be able to remain logged into NordPass when you switch devices and attach files to items you have stored.

You'll be able to mask your email address every time a website asks you to submit one. Given that the app uses a unique mask each time, you'll reduce the risk of having your email exposed if there's a breach. On that note, NordPass Premium can scour the web for data breaches to check whether your personal information was exposed. The app can also pick up on weak or reused passwords and prompt you to change them.

In addition, NordVPN is running a sale on its products, with up to 67 percent off two-year plans. One big benefit of plumping for an Ultimate plan is that it includes NordPass. Two years of access will cost you $153. Our main reservations about NordVPN is that the prices of its plans are too high and it doesn't have as many features as competing VPNs that Engadget has tested. Still, the discount might be enough to make it worthwhile for you to start using the service.

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/get-two-years-of-nordpass-premium-for-only-35-154552026.html?src=rss

Ubisoft will reveal more Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Red details in May

Posted on by

With a few well-received games under its belt in recent months, Ubisoft will be looking to keep up its momentum into 2024 and beyond. The publisher may well be gearing up to host an Ubisoft Forward event in May, as that's when it's promised to reveal more details about several of its upcoming projects.

In the company's latest earnings report, it said it will reveal the bulk of its lineup for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which runs through March 2025, in May. It will unveil more details about Star Wars Outlaws and a Japan-set Assassin's Creed game codenamed "Red," as well as free-to-play mobile titles The Division Resurgence and Rainbow Six Mobile. The latter will arrive roughly two years than first expected.

Ubisoft previously indicated that Outlaws, which is slated to be a truly open-world Star Wars game, is scheduled to arrive later this year. We can also now expect Assassin's Creed Red (or whatever its official name is) to drop before April 2025 as well.

Meanwhile, there's likely to be some news on the XDefiant front soon too. Ubisofot expects "a limited contribution from XDefiant" to its bottom line this quarter, so perhaps that's when the free-to-play tactical shooter will arrive. Plus, after many, many delays, Ubisoft will at long last release Skull and Bones next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-will-reveal-more-star-wars-outlaws-and-assassins-creed-red-details-in-may-184012158.html?src=rss

Sonic spin-off series Knuckles will hit Paramount+ on April 26

Posted on by

Paramount+ has revealed a new trailer for Sonic spin-off series Knuckles. The six-episode show is set between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and its sequel, which will hit theaters this December.

Idris Elba once again voices the titular Echidna. This time around, Knuckles will be training human companion Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) to become a warrior, all the while fending off those who want to use his power for nefarious means.

The trailer is entertaining enough. There's a decent gag about a dog's mortal enemy and it sets up the premise of the show neatly. All episodes of Knuckles will hit Paramount+ in the US and Canada on April 26. The show will arrive on Paramount+ elsewhere the following day. Folks in Japan will need to wait until later this year to catch the show.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonic-spin-off-series-knuckles-will-hit-paramount-on-april-26-170506646.html?src=rss

The FCC says robocalls that use AI-generated voices are illegal

Posted on by

The Federal Communication Commission is moving forward with its plan to ban AI robocalls. Commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday in favor of a Declaratory Ruling that was proposed in late January. Under the measure, the FCC deems robocalls made using AI-generated voices to be "artificial" voices per the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). That makes the practice illegal. The ruling takes effect immediately.

“Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, imitate celebrities and misinform voters. We’re putting the fraudsters behind these robocalls on notice,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “State Attorneys General will now have new tools to crack down on these scams and ensure the public is protected from fraud and misinformation.”

The TCPA is a 1991 law that bans artificial or recorded voices being used to call residences without the receivers' consent. It's up to the FCC to create rules to enforce that legislation, as Ars Technica notes. As the FCC pointed out last month, under the TCPA, telemarketers need "to obtain prior express written consent from consumers before robocalling them. If successfully enacted, this Declaratory Ruling would ensure AI-generated voice calls are also held to those same standards."

The FCC vote in favor of the ban comes at somewhat of an inflection point for AI. Not only have such technologies become vastly more widespread over the last year or so, an AI-generated version of President Joe Biden's voice was used in a recent robocall that urged Democrats not to vote in New Hampshire's Presidential primary. A criminal investigation into that incident is underway.

Given that we're in an election year and the volume of misinformation and disinformation is already likely to rise, clamping down on AI robocalls now seems like a wise move. While stage AGs can take action against robocallers, the FCC also has the ability to fine them under the TCPA. Last year, the agency issued its largest ever fine of $300 million last year against a company that made more than 5 billion robocalls in a three-month period.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-says-robocalls-that-use-ai-generated-voices-are-illegal-162132319.html?src=rss

Google rebrands its Bard AI chatbot as Gemini, which now has its own Android app

Posted on by

Just as Microsoft renamed Bing Chat to Copilot to unify its generative AI branding, Google is doing the same thing with Bard and Duet AI. The services now bear the name Gemini, after Google's multimodal AI model. The name change leaked earlier this month. Google has also debuted a dedicated Gemini Android app alongside a paid version of the chatbot that has more enhanced capabilities.

"Bard has been the best way for people to directly experience our most capable models," Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post. "To reflect the advanced tech at its core, Bard will now simply be called Gemini. It’s available in 40 languages on the web and is coming to a new Gemini app on Android and on the Google app on iOS."

Those who download the Gemini Android app can actually replace Google Assistant as the default assistant on their device. So, when you long press the home button or utter "Hey Google," your phone or tablet can fire up Gemini instead of Assistant. You can also make this switch by opting in through Assistant.

Doing so will enable a new conversational overlay on your display. Along with swift access to Gemini, the overlay will offer contextual suggestions, such as the ability to generate a description for a photo you just took or ask for more information about an article that's on your screen.

You'll also be able to access commonly used Assistant features through the Gemini app, from making calls and setting timers to controlling smart home devices. Google said it will bring more Assistant functions to Gemini in the future. That certainly makes it sound as though Google is phasing out Assistant in favor of Gemini. The app also includes access to Gemini Advanced (more on that in a moment).

As for iOS, there won't be a separate Gemini app for now. Instead, you can access it through the Google app by tapping the Gemini toggle.

Gemini is available on Android and iOS in English in the US starting today. Next week, Google will start offering access to the chatbot in more locales in English, as well as in Japanese and Korean. As you might expect, Gemini is coming to more countries and languages down the line.

In addition, Google is opening up access to what it says is its largest and most capable AI model, Ultra 1.0, through Gemini Advanced. The company claims this is able to have longer and more in-depth conversations with the ability to recall context from previous chats. It says Gemini Advanced "is far more capable at highly complex tasks like coding, logical reasoning, following nuanced instructions and collaborating on creative projects."

Gemini Advanced is available now in English in 150 countries and territories. To access it, you'll need to sign up for the new Google One AI Premium Plan. This costs $20 per month — the same price as Copilot Pro — after a two-month free trial. Along with Gemini Advanced, this subscription includes everything from the Google One Premium Plan, including 2TB of storage and a VPN. Subscribers will also be able to use Gemini in apps such as Gmail, Docs, Slides and Sheets in the near future (this is replacing Duet AI).

Of note, Google says it sought to mitigate concerns such as bias and unsafe content while building Gemini Advanced and other AI products. The company says it carried out "extensive trust and safety checks, including external red-teaming" (i.e. testing by third-party ethical hackers) on Gemini Advanced before refining the model with reinforcement learning and fine tuning.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-rebrands-its-bard-ai-chatbot-as-gemini-which-now-has-its-own-android-app-151303210.html?src=rss

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is laying off 570 workers

Posted on by

Even NASA is not immune to layoffs. The agency says it's cutting around 530 employees from its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California amid budget uncertainty. That's eight percent of the facility's workforce. JPL is laying off about 40 contractors too, just weeks after imposing a hiring freeze and canning 100 other contractors. Workers are being informed of their fates today.

"After exhausting all other measures to adjust to a lower budget from NASA, and in the absence of an FY24 appropriation from Congress, we have had to make the difficult decision to reduce the JPL workforce through layoffs," NASA said in a statement spotted by Gizmodo. "The impacts will occur across both technical and support areas of the Lab. These are painful but necessary adjustments that will enable us to adhere to our budget allocation while continuing our important work for NASA and our nation."

Uncertainty over the final budget that Congress will allocate to NASA for 2024 has played a major factor in the cuts. It's expected that the agency will receive around $300 million for Mars Sample Return (MSR), an ambitious mission in which NASA plans to launch a lander and orbiter to the red planet in 2028 and bring back soil. In its 2024 budget proposal, NASA requested just under $950 million for the project.

“While we still do not have an FY24 appropriation or the final word from Congress on our Mars Sample Return (MSR) budget allocation, we are now in a position where we must take further significant action to reduce our spending,” JPL Director Laurie Leshin wrote in a memo. "In the absence of an appropriation, and as much as we wish we didn’t need to take this action, we must now move forward to protect against even deeper cuts later were we to wait."

NASA has yet to provide a full cost estimate for MSR, though an independent report pegged the price at between $8 billion and $11 billion. In its proposed 2024 budget, the Senate Appropriations subcommittee ordered NASA to submit a year-by-year funding plan for MSR. If the agency does not do so, the subcommittee warned that the mission could be canceled.

That's despite MSR having enjoyed success so far. The Perseverance rover has dug up some soil samples that contain evidence of organic matter and would warrant closer analysis were NASA able to bring them back to Earth. The samples could help scientists learn more about Mars, such as whether the planet ever hosted life.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-jet-propulsion-laboratory-is-laying-off-570-workers-185336632.html?src=rss