Tag Archives: author_name|Kris Holt

Microsoft is running an Xbox partner showcase on March 6

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Microsoft has announced its second games showcase of 2024 and this one is all about projects from its third-party partners. The second Partner Preview stream is set for March 6 at 1PM ET. It will run for around 30 minutes and feature more than a dozen new trailers from publishers including Capcom, Nexon and EA.

Three games have been confirmed for the showcase. We'll find out details about traversal and combat in Tales of Kenzera: Zau, an EA-published 2D Metroidvania game that's set to arrive next month. Abubakar Salim, who voiced Bayek in Assassin's Creed Origins, is the game's creative lead and will narrate the Partner Preview trailer.

In addition, we'll see gameplay from Capcom's strategy-action game Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess and The First Berserker: Khazan, an action RPG from Nexon. Microsoft is also promising details on more titles that are bound for Xbox, PC and Game Pass. This is a common refrain every time one of these streams takes place, but since we know it's coming to Game Pass on its release day, perhaps this will finally be when we learn more about Hollow Knight: Silksong.

You'll be able to watch the stream on Xbox channels on YouTube and Twitch (YouTube streams will be available in 4K, but Twitch is limited to 1080p). Microsoft says it will make the showcase available in more than 40 languages, including American Sign Language, British Sign Language and English Audio Descriptions. For the first time, Microsoft will offer versions of an Xbox stream in Bengali, Māori, Punjabi (Gurmukhi), Swahili, Tamil, Urdu and Zulu.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-running-an-xbox-partner-showcase-on-march-6-173008112.html?src=rss

Prime members can save up to 50 percent on Blink Outdoor 4 security cameras

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Prime members can access a bunch of perks for their monthly subscription fee, from the likes of Prime Video and ad-free Amazon Music to delivery and games at no extra cost. They’re also eligible for discounts on certain products, such as Blink security cameras. A five-pack of Blink Outdoor 4 cameras has dropped by half to $200. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for this particular bundle.

If you’re in the market for a single security camera, it’s worth noting that you can buy one Blink Outdoor 4 unit for $65 if you’re a Prime member. That’s 46 percent off and also a record low.

The Blink Outdoor 4 is our pick for the best wireless outdoor security camera. Compared with previous models, it has a wider field of view (at 143 degrees on the diagonal), enhanced motion detection and, according to Amazon, better image quality and low light functionality. There's also person detection available to those who take out the Blink Subscription Plan, which includes features such as cloud storage for video clips. Otherwise, you can save video locally by buying a Sync Module 2 separately and connecting a USB storage drive.

Despite the product's name, the Blink Outdoor 4 is suitable for indoor use too. It runs on a pair of AA batteries and the cells will last for up to two years before you need to replace them. The cameras are also weather resistant and support night vision, motion detection and two-way audio. It's worth bearing in mind that the only voice assistant Blink supports is Alexa, which makes sense since Amazon owns the brand.

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/prime-members-can-save-up-to-50-percent-on-blink-outdoor-4-security-cameras-151735553.html?src=rss

Prime members can save up to 50 percent on Blink Outdoor 4 security cameras

Posted on by

Prime members can access a bunch of perks for their monthly subscription fee, from the likes of Prime Video and ad-free Amazon Music to delivery and games at no extra cost. They’re also eligible for discounts on certain products, such as Blink security cameras. A five-pack of Blink Outdoor 4 cameras has dropped by half to $200. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for this particular bundle.

If you’re in the market for a single security camera, it’s worth noting that you can buy one Blink Outdoor 4 unit for $65 if you’re a Prime member. That’s 46 percent off and also a record low.

The Blink Outdoor 4 is our pick for the best wireless outdoor security camera. Compared with previous models, it has a wider field of view (at 143 degrees on the diagonal), enhanced motion detection and, according to Amazon, better image quality and low light functionality. There's also person detection available to those who take out the Blink Subscription Plan, which includes features such as cloud storage for video clips. Otherwise, you can save video locally by buying a Sync Module 2 separately and connecting a USB storage drive.

Despite the product's name, the Blink Outdoor 4 is suitable for indoor use too. It runs on a pair of AA batteries and the cells will last for up to two years before you need to replace them. The cameras are also weather resistant and support night vision, motion detection and two-way audio. It's worth bearing in mind that the only voice assistant Blink supports is Alexa, which makes sense since Amazon owns the brand.

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/prime-members-can-save-up-to-50-percent-on-blink-outdoor-4-security-cameras-151735553.html?src=rss

Elon Musk sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for allegedly ditching non-profit mission

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OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk has sued the company, his fellow co-founders, associated businesses and unidentified others. He claims that, by chasing profits, they’re violating OpenAI’s status as a non-profit and its foundational contractual agreements to develop AI “for the benefit of humanity.”

The suit alleges that OpenAI has become a “closed-source de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion and holds a 49 percent stake. Microsoft uses OpenAI tech to power generative AI tools such as Copilot.

According to the filing, under OpenAI’s current board, it is allegedly developing and refining an artificial general intelligence (AGI) “to maximize profits for Microsoft, rather than for the benefit of humanity. This was a stark betrayal of the Founding Agreement.”

The suit defines AGI as "a machine having intelligence for a wide variety of tasks like a human." Musk argues in the suit that GPT-4, which is purportedly "better at reasoning than average humans," is tantamount to AGI and is "a de facto Microsoft proprietary algorithm."

Musk has long expressed concerns over AGI. He claims the theoretical tech posits "a grave threat to humanity," particularly "in the hands of a closed, for-profit company like Google."

According to the filing, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and fellow co-founder Greg Brockman persuaded Musk to help them start the non-profit and to fund its early operations in a bid to counter Google's advancements in the AGI space with DeepMind. He noted that their initial agreement called for OpenAI's tech to be "freely available" to the public. Musk claims to have donated $44 million to the non-profit between 2016 and 2020 (he stepped down as an OpenAI board member in 2018). As TechCrunch reports, Musk previously said he was offered a stake in OpenAI's for-profit subsidiary, but rejected it due to "a principled stand."

Muskl, of course, has some skin in the game. Since the public debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022, there's been a battle between tech giants to offer the best generative AI tools. Musk joined that rat race when his AI company, xAI, rolled out ChatGPT rival Grok to Premium+ subscribers on his X social network last year.

When Altman swiftly returned to power after OpenAI's board shockingly fired him in November, he's said to have appointed a new group of directors that is less technically minded and more business-focused. Microsoft was appointed as a non-voting observer. “The new board consisted of members with more experience in profit-centric enterprises or politics than in AI ethics and governance,” the lawsuit alleges.

The suit accuses the defendants of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unfair business practices. Musk is seeking a jury trial and a ruling that forces OpenAI to stick to its original non-profit mission. He also wants it to be banned from monetizing tech it developed as a non-profit for the benefit of OpenAI leadership as well as Microsoft and other partners.

Competition regulators in the US, the UK and European Union are said to be examining OpenAI's partnership with Microsoft. It was reported this week that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether OpenAI misled investors. Several news organizations have sued OpenAI and Microsoft as well, alleging that ChatGPT repurposes their work "verbatim or nearly verbatim" without attribution, infringing upon their copyright in the process.

In a couple of internal memos seen by Bloomberg, OpenAI said it "categorically disagrees" with the lawsuit Musk has filed. Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon denied that OpenAI has become a "de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft and said that Musk's claims "may stem from [his] regrets about not being involved with the company today." Altman also said in another memo that Musk is his hero and that he misses the person he knew who competed with others by building better technology.

Update, March 02, 2023, 1:47AM ET: This story has been updated to include OpenAI's internal memos about the lawsuit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-sues-openai-and-sam-altman-for-allegedly-ditching-non-profit-mission-160722736.html?src=rss

Spotify rolls out an audiobook-only subscription

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Spotify has added another subscription option. This time around, it's offering a plan that has little to do with music. The Audiobooks Access Tier (which is US-only for now) offers 15 hours of audiobook listening each month for $10. You'll have access to Spotify's library of more than 200,000 titles You can, of course, still listen to ad-supported music via Spotfy's free tier.

At first glance, it might seem odd for Spotify to offer an audiobook-only tier at this price. Spotify Premium, which costs $11 per month, has the same 15 hours of audiobook listening time as well as other perks. However, audiobooks often take somewhere in the realm of between seven and 11 hours to listen to.

As such, Spotify is undercutting Audible to a degree. That platform offers one audiobook credit per month for $15. So, for $5 less with Spotify, you might be able to listen to roughly two books per month (unless you prefer to enjoy epic novels that are around 1,000-plus pages long in print). It's worth bearing in mind, though, that unused listening time does not carry over into the next month.

Spotify noted that, since it started offering 15 hours of audiobook listening to Premium subscribers at no extra cost in November, there's been a 45 percent increase in those on the free tier searching for and interacting with audiobook material every day (the company also sells audiobooks on its web player). That uptick in interest is a decent enough reason for Spotify to try an audiobook-only subscription tier.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-rolls-out-an-audiobook-only-subscription-180829039.html?src=rss

Spotify rolls out an audiobook-only subscription

Posted on by

Spotify has added another subscription option. This time around, it's offering a plan that has little to do with music. The Audiobooks Access Tier (which is US-only for now) offers 15 hours of audiobook listening each month for $10. You'll have access to Spotify's library of more than 200,000 titles You can, of course, still listen to ad-supported music via Spotfy's free tier.

At first glance, it might seem odd for Spotify to offer an audiobook-only tier at this price. Spotify Premium, which costs $11 per month, has the same 15 hours of audiobook listening time as well as other perks. However, audiobooks often take somewhere in the realm of between seven and 11 hours to listen to.

As such, Spotify is undercutting Audible to a degree. That platform offers one audiobook credit per month for $15. So, for $5 less with Spotify, you might be able to listen to roughly two books per month (unless you prefer to enjoy epic novels that are around 1,000-plus pages long in print). It's worth bearing in mind, though, that unused listening time does not carry over into the next month.

Spotify noted that, since it started offering 15 hours of audiobook listening to Premium subscribers at no extra cost in November, there's been a 45 percent increase in those on the free tier searching for and interacting with audiobook material every day (the company also sells audiobooks on its web player). That uptick in interest is a decent enough reason for Spotify to try an audiobook-only subscription tier.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-rolls-out-an-audiobook-only-subscription-180829039.html?src=rss

Elon Musk sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for allegedly ditching non-profit mission

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OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk has sued the company, his fellow co-founders, associated businesses and unidentified others. He claims that, by chasing profits, they’re violating OpenAI’s status as a non-profit and its foundational contractual agreements to develop AI “for the benefit of humanity.”

The suit alleges that OpenAI has become a “closed-source de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion and holds a 49 percent stake. Microsoft uses OpenAI tech to power generative AI tools such as Copilot.

According to the filing, under OpenAI’s current board, it is allegedly developing and refining an artificial general intelligence (AGI) “to maximize profits for Microsoft, rather than for the benefit of humanity. This was a stark betrayal of the Founding Agreement.”

The suit defines AGI as "a machine having intelligence for a wide variety of tasks like a human." Musk argues in the suit that GPT-4, which is purportedly "better at reasoning than average humans," is tantamount to AGI and is "a de facto Microsoft proprietary algorithm."

Musk has long expressed concerns over AGI. He claims the theoretical tech posits "a grave threat to humanity," particularly "in the hands of a closed, for-profit company like Google."

According to the filing, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and fellow co-founder Greg Brockman persuaded Musk to help them start the non-profit and to fund its early operations in a bid to counter Google's advancements in the AGI space with DeepMind. He noted that their initial agreement called for OpenAI's tech to be "freely available" to the public. Musk claims to have donated $44 million to the non-profit between 2016 and 2020 (he stepped down as an OpenAI board member in 2018). As TechCrunch reports, Musk previously said he was offered a stake in OpenAI's for-profit subsidiary, but rejected it due to "a principled stand."

Muskl, of course, has some skin in the game. Since the public debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022, there's been a battle between tech giants to offer the best generative AI tools. Musk joined that rat race when his AI company, xAI, rolled out ChatGPT rival Grok to Premium+ subscribers on his X social network last year.

When Altman swiftly returned to power after OpenAI's board shockingly fired him in November, he's said to have appointed a new group of directors that is less technically minded and more business-focused. Microsoft was appointed as a non-voting observer. “The new board consisted of members with more experience in profit-centric enterprises or politics than in AI ethics and governance,” the lawsuit alleges.

The suit accuses the defendants of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unfair business practices. Musk is seeking a jury trial and a ruling that forces OpenAI to stick to its original non-profit mission. He also wants it to be banned from monetizing tech it developed as a non-profit for the benefit of OpenAI leadership as well as Microsoft and other partners.

Competition regulators in the US, the UK and European Union are said to be examining OpenAI's partnership with Microsoft. It was reported this week that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether OpenAI misled investors. Several news organizations have sued OpenAI and Microsoft as well, alleging that ChatGPT repurposes their work "verbatim or nearly verbatim" without attribution, infringing upon their copyright in the process.

In a couple of internal memos seen by Bloomberg, OpenAI said it "categorically disagrees" with the lawsuit Musk has filed. Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon denied that OpenAI has become a "de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft and said that Musk's claims "may stem from [his] regrets about not being involved with the company today." Altman also said in another memo that Musk is his hero and that he misses the person he knew who competed with others by building better technology.

Update, March 02, 2023, 1:47AM ET: This story has been updated to include OpenAI's internal memos about the lawsuit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-sues-openai-and-sam-altman-for-allegedly-ditching-non-profit-mission-160722736.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2 is $400 off at Amazon

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There's a lot to like about Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio 2, which is a highly versatile system. However, the normally high price was one of our major complaints about the system when we reviewed it last October. That sticker shock is slightly less of a concern now, as the laptop is on sale at Amazon. The price has dropped by $400 to $2,399. That's a new record low for a configuration that includes 32GB of RAM, a 13th-gen Intel i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.

Those specs make the laptop more than capable of handling everyday tasks, while the 1TB of included storage should be enough for most folks' needs. You should be able to run most current games on this computer too.

Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 2 will run for up to 18 hours on a single charge, which is respectable. The system has a 14.4-inch touchscreen with true-to-life color and a 120Hz refresh rate. There's Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support too. As for connectivity, you'll get two USB-C 4.0 ports with Thunderbolt 4, a USB-A port, a microSD card reader and Surface Connect for docking and charging.

We gave the Surface Laptop 2 a score of 85 in our review, lauding it for many of those factors as well as the unique design. Since the lid is split into two halves, you can pivot the screen 180 degrees or tilt it down into an easel. It effectively gives you the versatility of a 2-in-1 with the power of a mid-range laptop.

On the downside, the Surface Laptop 2 is bulkier than other 14-inch ultraportables and you'll need to buy the Surface Slim Pen 2 separately if you want it. That said, the laptop should be capable of handling all of most people's day-to-day needs.

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/microsofts-surface-laptop-studio-2-is-400-off-at-amazon-185728432.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2 is $400 off at Amazon

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There's a lot to like about Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio 2, which is a highly versatile system. However, the normally high price was one of our major complaints about the system when we reviewed it last October. That sticker shock is slightly less of a concern now, as the laptop is on sale at Amazon. The price has dropped by $400 to $2,399. That's a new record low for a configuration that includes 32GB of RAM, a 13th-gen Intel i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.

Those specs make the laptop more than capable of handling everyday tasks, while the 1TB of included storage should be enough for most folks' needs. You should be able to run most current games on this computer too.

Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 2 will run for up to 18 hours on a single charge, which is respectable. The system has a 14.4-inch touchscreen with true-to-life color and a 120Hz refresh rate. There's Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support too. As for connectivity, you'll get two USB-C 4.0 ports with Thunderbolt 4, a USB-A port, a microSD card reader and Surface Connect for docking and charging.

We gave the Surface Laptop 2 a score of 85 in our review, lauding it for many of those factors as well as the unique design. Since the lid is split into two halves, you can pivot the screen 180 degrees or tilt it down into an easel. It effectively gives you the versatility of a 2-in-1 with the power of a mid-range laptop.

On the downside, the Surface Laptop 2 is bulkier than other 14-inch ultraportables and you'll need to buy the Surface Slim Pen 2 separately if you want it. That said, the laptop should be capable of handling all of most people's day-to-day needs.

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/microsofts-surface-laptop-studio-2-is-400-off-at-amazon-185728432.html?src=rss

Apple’s self-repair program now covers M3-powered MacBook Pros and iMacs

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Apple has been steadily expanding its Self Service Repair program since spinning it up two years ago. Starting today, you can access the tools, parts and repair manuals you need to fix the latest MacBook Pros and iMacs that run on the company's M3 chips. 

As of sometime next month, folks with M3 systems will be able to use Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair on their systems too. The web-based tool gives end users the same capabilities as the company's authorized service providers and independent repair shops to pinpoint parts that may need to be repaired, as well as to test for "optimal part functionality and performance," Apple says. The company debuted this tool for iPhone and Mac last year.

On top of that, Apple notes that it's trying to improve the Mac repair process and make it more efficient through tweaks to system configuration procedures. As of early March, you'll no longer need to contact its Self Service Repair team to carry out the final step of a repair. However, the team will still be available in case you need a hand.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-self-repair-program-now-covers-m3-powered-macbook-pros-and-imacs-165109070.html?src=rss