Mophie’s Juice Pack, once practically synonymous with smartphone battery cases, is making a comeback at CES 2024. With Apple having discontinued its MagSafe Battery Pack as part of its purge of Lightning accessories, the Zagg-owned Mophie has seized the moment to reintroduce the Juice Pack for the first time in five years. The new version of the battery case is designed for the iPhone 15 series (with the notable exception of the 15 Plus).
The battery capacity in the new Juice Pack varies depending on which iPhone model you have. The iPhone 15 version has a 2,400mAh battery, the iPhone 15 Pro model moves to 2,600mAh and the iPhone 15 Pro Max variant is 2,800mAh. The case supports passthrough charging and will prioritize the iPhone when both need power.
Mophie’s iPhone 15 and 15 Pro cases have identical external dimensions (despite the phones’ measurements being different) at 161 x 75 x 17.54mm (6.3 x 3 x 0.7 inch). Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max version measures 174 x 81.1 x 17.12 mm (6.85 x 3.2 x 0.67 inch). The case is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and has slightly raised corners to help with drop protection.
The Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 15 series costs $100. The battery case will be available for pre-order in late February from Mophie’s website.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mophie-resurrects-the-juice-pack-for-the-iphone-15-series-220713020.html?src=rss
Samsung’s CES 2024 TV rollout is here. The company typically reserves finer product details (including pricing) for later, but it provided Engadget with a quick rundown of its new television lineup ahead of its press conference on Monday. Its new 8K TVs have new AI-powered features, including upscaling technology (to help with the scarcity of native 8K content), and it claims a “glare-free” OLED model looks equally clear in bright and dark rooms.
Samsung’s new quantum dot TVs have AI-powered upscaling tech the company hopes will nudge curious consumers into paying a premium for an 8K TV. With most content providers currently lacking native 8K streaming options, Samsung’s AI Upscaling Pro feature in its QN900D (65- to 85-inch) television can help by converting 4K content into 8K or HD / SD media into 4K.
The company says the QN900D is the “slimmest, most premium 8K TV to ever hit the market.” In addition to resolution upscaling, the television includes a trick to recognize when you’re watching sports and help track the game’s ball on the screen. Another algorithmic feature, Real Depth Enhancer Pro, helps boost contrast between the foreground and background, including in fast-paced content like car racing.
Samsung’s new QLED (8K and 4K) and OLED televisions also include Active Voice Amplifier Pro, a more advanced version of an existing feature that can boost dialog and “key sound effects” for more immersive audio. In addition, AI Customization Mode asks you to choose your “preferred picture” in a series of scenes when setting up the television; it will then use AI to detect the scene you’re watching and optimize the picture accordingly based on your preferences.
The company is also launching a (presumably cheaper) 8K QLED TV, the QN85D, that lacks the fancy AI conversion features. Meanwhile, the company’s 4K NEO QLED lineup includes the QN90D (43- to 98-inch) and QN85D (55- to 85-inch).
Samsung
Samsung also has new OLED models for 2024, including the S90D and S95D (both 55- to 77-inch). The latter includes the company’s “OLED Glare Free” tech, which it claims will let you “enjoy the best possible viewing experience across both bright and dark rooms.” Samsung says the feature doesn’t affect the picture’s viewing angles or contrast and can depict Pantone-validated standard colors. The S95D has a 4K 144Hz panel, and it measures just under 11mm thick.
The company’s 2024 offerings also include “more ultra-large screen options than ever,” including 98-inch models in its Neo QLED 8K and 4K, QLED 4K and Crystal UHD lineups. Yet another AI-powered feature will address the problem of pixels becoming more discernible as screen size increases. Samsung’s Supersize Picture Enhancer feature uses AI upscaling to enhance the perceived sharpness and reduce visible noise on each pixel to help offset the bigger TVs’ larger dots.
Engadget is on the floor at CES 2024 and will check out the hardware and software-based features in Samsung’s new televisions. You can also tune into the company’s press conference on Monday at 5PM ET.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-2024-tv-lineup-at-ces-2024-includes-ai-aplenty-and-a-glare-free-oled-model-030046720.html?src=rss
LG has always had a significant presence at CES, with its consumer electronics and appliances all considered fair game for the annual Las Vegas tech convention. Of particular interest to Engadget readers are the Korean company’s super-thin Gram laptops, OLED TVs and soundbars. You can see what LG has in store for CES 2024 right here on Monday at 11AM ET.
What to expect at LG's CES 2024 press conference
LG’s TV lineup from last year included the OLED M3, which won Engadget’s Best of CES in Home Theater. The 97-inch television uses the company’s proprietary Zero Connect wireless transmission tech, which LG claims can reach up to three times the speed of Wi-Fi 6. The wireless setup lets you mount the set in otherwise hard-to-reach places like above a fireplace.
Last year’s CES also debuted LG’s Gram Style, a $1,499 and up laptop with an exceptionally light glass design and a “disappearing” trackpad. In addition, it launched the Gram Ultraslim, the company’s thinnest notebook, and a spec bump update for the standard Gram laptop lineup.
LG’s soundbar lineup from the last annual event included the premium SC9 ($1,000) and the compact and more affordable ($300) SE6. The more expensive model reserved its best features for pairing with LG TVs, including Wow Orchestra (syncs the display’s speakers with the soundbar), Wow Interface (lets you control the soundbar’s settings from the TV), and Wowcast (connects to its TVs over Wi-Fi, ditching cables). Meanwhile, the cheaper model included Dolby Atmos sound, wrapped in a cloth-wrapped design with round edges.
LG's CES 2024 livestream
You can see what LG has in store for CES 2024 below at 11AM ET on Monday. Engadget is on the ground in Las Vegas and will have all the news and hands-on from this year’s extravaganza.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-lg-announce-new-tvs-laptops-and-soundbars-at-ces-2024-here-160052207.html?src=rss
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) could file “a sweeping antitrust case” against Apple as soon as the first half of this year, according toThe New York Times. The report says the agency is in “the late stages” of its investigation, focusing on the company’s control over hardware and software services and how its “walled garden” approach has allegedly made it harder for rivals to compete and customers to switch to competing products.
The New York Times report says the investigation has expanded beyond what was previously reported, according to people with knowledge of the meetings. Among other areas, its scope has allegedly covered how the Apple Watch is more tightly integrated with iPhone services than rival wearables and how it locks competing platforms out of iMessage.
Executives from Beeper, which got into a public spat with Apple late last year over the iPhone maker’s blocking of the app’s iMessage integration on Android, reportedly talked with investigators. In addition, Tile, which has made Bluetooth trackers since long before the AirTag existed, allegedly sat down with the DOJ, too. The agency is said to have “had conversations with” representatives from banking and payment apps about Apple’s practice of blocking rivals from using tap-to-pay on the iPhone.
Meta also reportedly talked with investigators. The social company allegedly “encouraged” the DOJ to look into Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy tool in its meetings. ATT, launched in 2021, lets users hinder advertisers’ data collection, a feature Meta said in 2022 could cost it $10 billion that year. The NYT claims investigators have also looked into Apple’s cut of digital purchases made on the iPhone, a point Spotify, Epic Games and dating corporation Match Group have been vocal about in recent years.
The federal government currently has its hands full with Big Tech antitrust cases. The DOJ is pursuing two antitrust cases against Google (one for search and another for advertising), while the FTC has sued Meta and Amazon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-doj-is-reportedly-prepared-to-file-a-broad-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apple-213030784.html?src=rss
An investigative report from Bloomberg paints a disturbing picture of Twitch’s difficulties in moderating the livestreaming platform — especially its Clips feature, which allows users to preserve short videos. The outlet reports that, after analyzing about 1,100 clips, it found at least 83 with sexualized content involving children. Twitch removed the videos after it was alerted, and a company spokesperson wrote to Engadget in an email that it has since “invested heavily in enforcement tooling and preventative measures, and will continue to do so.”
Bloomberg highlighted one incident that exemplified the problem with Clips’ permanent nature on the otherwise transient platform. It recounts the unsettling story of a 12-year-old boy who took to Twitch last spring “to eat a sandwich and play his French horn.” He soon began taking requests from viewers, which (in a sad reflection of online behavior) somehow led to the boy pulling his pants down.
The outlet describes the incident as being over “in an instant.” Still, Clips’ recording function allowed one viewer — who allegedly followed over a hundred accounts belonging to children — to preserve it. This allegedly led to over 130 views of the 20-second Clip before Twitch was notified and removed it.
Clips launched in 2016 as a way to preserve otherwise ephemeral moments on the platform. The feature records 25 seconds before (and five seconds after) tapping the record button. This has the unfortunate side effect of allowing predators to save a troubling moment and distribute it elsewhere.
Twitch has planned to expand Clips this year as part of a strategy to produce more TikTok-like content on the platform. It plans to launch a discovery feed (also similar to TikTok) where users can post their short videos.
Bloomberg’s report cites the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which reviewed the 83 exploitative videos and concluded that 34 depicted young users showing their genitals on camera. The bulk were allegedly boys between the ages of five and 12. An additional 49 clips included sexualized content featuring minors “exposing body parts or being subjected to grooming efforts.”
The organization said the 34 “most egregious” videos were viewed 2,700 times. The rest tallied 7,300 views.
Twitch’s response
“Youth harm, anywhere online, is unacceptable, and we take this issue extremely seriously,” a Twitch spokesperson wrote to Engadget. In response to being alerted to the child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the company says it’s developed new models to detect potential grooming behavior and is updating its existing tools to more effectively identify and remove banned users trying to create new accounts (including for youth safety-related issues).
Twitch adds that it’s stepped up its safety teams’ enforcement of livestreams, the root of Clips. “This means that when we disable a livestream that contains harmful content and suspend the channel, because clips are created from livestreams, we’re preventing the creation and spread of harmful clips at the source,” the company wrote. “Importantly, we’ve also worked to ensure that when we delete and disable clips that violate our community guidelines, those clips aren’t available through public domains or other direct links.”
“We also recognize that, unfortunately, online harms evolve,” the spokesperson continued. “We improved the guidelines our internal safety teams use to identify some of those evolving online harms, like generative AI-enabled Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).” Twitch added that it’s expanded the list of external organizations it works with to (hopefully) snuff out any similar content in the future.
Twitch’s moderation problems
Bloomberg reports that Clips has been one of the least moderated sections on Twitch. It also notes the company laid off 15 percent of its internal trust and safety team in April 2023 (part of a harrowing year in tech layoffs) and has grown more reliant on outside partners to squash CSAM content.
Twitch’s livestream-focused platform makes it a trickier moderation challenge than more traditional video sites like YouTube or Instagram. Those platforms can compare uploaded videos with hashes — digital fingerprints that can spot previously known problematic files posted online. “Hash technology looks for something that’s a match to something seen previously,” Lauren Coffren of the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children told Bloomberg. “Livestreaming means it’s brand new.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitchs-clips-feature-has-reportedly-enabled-child-abuse-to-fester-on-the-platform-201058947.html?src=rss
Some companies take monitors, TVs or AI-fueled laptops to CES. Others bring a toilet seat you can talk to. The 151-year-old bathroom appliance company Kohler will introduce the PureWash E930 Bidet Seat in Las Vegas next week. The accessory fits onto most elongated toilets, transforming your dumb can into an Alexa- or Google Assistant-powered smart-loo.
Kohler says the PureWash E930 Bidet Seat “brings you the freshness of personal cleansing in a slim, low-profile design.” At $2,149, it isn’t cheap, but it could save you money — and installation hassles — compared to full-on smart toilets. (Kohler has models in the $8,000 to $10,000 range.)
The PureWash E930 opens and closes its cover hands-free when it senses motion. It has a self-cleaning mode, using its built-in UV light. Using Alexa or Google Home, you can control the smart seat hands-free (no small luxury with bathroom gear). Amazon and Google’s voice assistants can turn on the bidet spray, warm air dryer and UV cleaning at your command.
Kohler
The accessory, which supports front and rear wash modes, has a heated seat and a remote control with two programmable presets. The bidet automatically mists the toilet bowl before use “for more effective rinsing while flushing.” Its water temperature and pressure are adjustable, and you can choose between oscillating or pulsating sprays.
A boost spray mode (rear only) will automatically turn up your hindquarters-hosing to the maximum pressure setting. There’s also a child mode, which provides a “soft, gentle wash” for the little ones. When it’s time to dry, it includes a warm-air system with adjustable temperature settings.
The seat has LED lighting to turn your toilet into a nightlight. It even includes Kohler’s “Quiet-Close” technology that prevents seat slamming. The seat has a quick-release function, making it easy to remove for deeper cleanings.
The PureWash E930 is available for order now (in white) from Kohler’s website. A black colorway will be available in late February.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kohlers-voice-controlled-bidet-seat-turns-your-dumb-toilet-into-a-luxurious-smart-throne-174934904.html?src=rss
Samsung is looking to boost the game-streaming ecosystem around its smart TVs with a certification program. Ahead of CES 2024 in Las Vegas, the company today unveiled Designed for Samsung Gaming Hub, which gives third-party accessory makers an official designation that their gear works with the platform. The program’s first licensed gamepad, from PDP, is available for pre-order.
Hardware partners who work with Samsung through the program will add a “Designed for Samsung Gaming Hub” badge to their products. Although Samsung Gaming Hub works with most standard Bluetooth gamepads, the company says the designation means the controller will provide the “best possible game streaming experience on Samsung Gaming Hub, regardless of the supported Samsung device players choose.” Samsung describes the label as signifying “compatibility, quality, performance, safety and security” on its devices.
However, if you already own a Bluetooth gamepad that works with Samsung Gaming Hub — and you don’t care about dedicated shortcut buttons — you should be fine sticking with that.
The first hardware partner product with certification is the PDP Replay Wireless Controller. It offers up to 40 hours of battery life with a low-latency Bluetooth connection for up to 30 feet away. It has a dedicated button to launch the Samsung Gaming Hub, as well as TV power and volume buttons.
The PDP Replay is available for pre-order today at PDP’s website, and Samsung says Amazon and Best Buy will sell it later.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-will-certify-controllers-optimized-for-game-streaming-on-its-smart-tvs-140031028.html?src=rss
Razer is previewing two new Blade laptops, which it will officially unveil next week at CES 2024. The company says the new Razer Blade 16 has the world’s first 16-inch 240Hz OLED panel, and the updated Razer Blade 18 has an 18-inch 4K 165Hz one. It hasn’t revealed pricing or full specs yet, but Razer will roll out more details next week in Las Vegas.
The new Razer Blade 16 looks to improve on the display in last year’s model, which was already impressive. Razer says the OLED panel in the 2024 version was co-developed by Samsung Display. In addition to its QHD+ resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, it has a 0.2ms response time, and it’s VESA Certified ClearMR 11000, a standard that grades motion blur by its ratio of clear to blurry pixels. The panel has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and its black levels will likely impress with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Blade 18 moves from the 2023 model’s QHD, 240Hz panel to a 4K, 165Hz one. It has a 3ms response time with Nvidia G-Sync support and covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.
Although Razer is withholding the devices’ full specs until their official CES 2024 reveal on Monday, it added that they’re built with high-grade CNC aluminum unibody construction, and they have a 16:10 aspect ratio, “up to” an 89 percent screen-to-body ratio and ultra-thin bezels. Both Razer Blade laptops are Calman Verified and have a color accuracy certification. They’re also individually calibrated in the factory.
Engadget will be on the ground in Las Vegas starting this weekend, and we’ll have the full details and hands-on impressions for both of the new Razer Blade laptops.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-2024-blade-16-laptop-will-have-a-240hz-oled-display-172153672.html?src=rss
Apple Fitness+ is adding new content for the new year. The workout service’s Artist Spotlight series celebrates the Super Bowl halftime show with playlists devoted to recent performers (including this year’s artist, Usher). In addition, new meditations, programs and Time to Walk episodes will arrive soon.
The Apple Fitness+ Artist Spotlight series dedicates entire workout playlists (across various exercises) to a single artist. In this case, it will devote them to several: Rihanna (available January 8), Britney Spears (January 15), U2 (January 22) and Usher (February 5, ahead of his performance).
Three of the four artists have been (or soon will be) Super Bowl halftime headliners: Rihanna in 2023, U2 in 2002 and Usher in 2024. Spears hasn’t had top billing, but she performed in the 2001 show, co-headlined by Aerosmith and NSYNC.
Fitness+ is also adding sound meditations. Apple says they’ll only include “light guidance” from the trainer, leaving room for you to focus on the “tranquil sounds of singing bowls and the deep pitch of gongs, all arranged to create a sense of ease.” There will be seven sound-themed meditations, arriving every week. You can choose between five, 10, and 20-minute sessions.
Apple Fitness+ will soon let you walk with Al Roker.
NBC via Getty Images
Time to Walk, Apple’s series of celebrity-guided audio walking experiences, is adding Al Roker. The Today Show weather anchor and co-host will share what he learned about mentorship, including a pivotal chat with his father. Other episodes will feature rapper and actor Common (who already works with Apple on the sci-fi series Silo), Trixie Mattel (aka Brian Firkus, RuPaul’s Drag Race), actor Colman Domingo (Rustin) and author / actor Lilly Singh will host episodes.
50 of Apple’s older Time to Walk episodes will be available on Apple Podcasts. Celebrity guests on the available content will include Prince William, Al Roker (again!), Patti LaBelle, Becky G, Simu Liu, Malala Yousafzai, Camila Cabello, Dolly Parton, Jason Segel and Shawn Mendes. Although the podcast version will omit guest-chosen songs and photos, you can still access those through the Fitness+ app. In addition, anyone who isn’t subscribed to Fitness+ can listen to 10 free Time to Walk episodes on Apple Podcasts.
Golfers will get some love from the service, too. Apple is adding a new workout program designed for links enthusiasts. The workouts will blend strength, core, and yoga training, focused on the specific strength, balance, flexibility and mobility golfers need. The workouts will feature (and were designed by) pro golfer Rose Zhang. “Whether people are new to the sport or want to advance their skills, I’m excited that the workouts in this program on Fitness+ will help users feel more confident in their swing and have fun on the course,” Zhang said. Fitness+ trainer Kyle Ardill will lead the videos.
Apple has partnered with Anytime Fitness, a US gym franchise, to offer perks to use both companies’ services. First, “prospective members” who try Anytime Fitness will get “up to three months” of Apple Fitness+ for free. In addition, Fitness+ subscribers who join the gym and sign up for at least a 12-month membership will get their first 30 days for no charge. The Anytime Fitness app on iOS will also integrate with Apple Fitness+ workouts.
Apart from the Artist Spotlight rollouts, Apple hasn’t shared specific launch dates for the new content. However, it said the new features will arrive “starting Monday, January 8.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-fitness-will-spotlight-super-bowl-halftime-performers-140053585.html?src=rss
Twitch has revised its nudity policies yet again. The latest change bars streamers from pretending to be “fully or partially nude,” wrote Angela Hession, Twitch’s VP of Trust and Safety, in a blog post. The change comes several weeks after the company said creators could post “properly labeled” sexual content, only to flip-flop two days later.
The company added the new language to its community guidelines (reported byThe Verge) in response to streamers “implying” nudity with carefully placed objects, censor bars or camera angles. The update to Twitch’s terms goes into effect today.
The revised terms also ban see-through clothing, clarifying that apparel must be fully opaque on bodily areas that require coverings. Hession also emphasized the importance of categorizing content correctly, including when streaming from near a pool, beach, or hot tub, where the “full coverage of the buttocks” requirement is loosened.
Twitch plans to eventually blur thumbnails for streams labeled as having sexual themes. “While most streamers have labeled this content appropriately with the Sexual Themes label and are wearing clothing behind the object or outside the camera frame, for many users, the thumbnails of this content can be disruptive to their experience on Twitch,” Hession wrote. Twitch says it will also update its settings to allow users to control the content they see based on how it’s labeled.
As it stands now, Twitch requires streamers to cover their buttocks, genitals and (for female-presenting streamers) the nipples and underbust areas. Visible outlines of genitals are also prohibited, but cleavage is fine as long as it’s clear the streamer is clothed. But you may want to check back soon: At the pace we’re going, Twitch may have revised its policies again by next week.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-re-revises-its-guidelines-to-ban-the-implication-of-nudity-201037204.html?src=rss