Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro Keyboard has bold keys to boost readability

There's some positive news on the accessibility front coming out of today's Microsoft event. Alongside the business-oriented Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10, the company has revealed the first Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keys. Compared with its other keyboards, Microsoft says this one has a brighter backlight that, combined with the bold font, should make the keyboard easier to read and reduce eye strain. Of note, the keyboard will only be available in US English and exclusively in the US and Canada.

As with other new Windows keyboards, this one has a dedicated Copilot key. The AI chatbot will allow you to enable accessibility features without having to traipse through menus for the option you're seeking. You might ask Copilot to "switch on live captions" or "enable the magnifier," and it will carry out that action for you.

In addition, Microsoft is making its Adaptive Accessories available to commercial customers for the first time. The company released the modular mouse, hub and other accessories for consumers back in 2022. The aim of the Adaptive Accessories is to help those who have difficulty using a standard keyboard and mouse to create a setup that works for them, so they can be more productive and more easily get the most out of their favorite apps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-latest-surface-pro-keyboard-has-bold-keys-to-boost-readability-160052653.html?src=rss

Reddit is now a publicly traded company

Nineteen years after its debut, Reddit is now a publicly traded company. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RDDT for the first time on Thursday, with mascot Snoo on hand to ring the opening bell.

The company aimed to sell 15.3 million shares at $34 a pop to raise around $519.4 million. Stockholders collectively planned to sell 6.7 million shares in the IPO for a total of $228.6 million (Reddit itself wouldn't see any of that money though). The IPO price values Reddit at just under $6.5 billion.

The sale’s underwriters also have the option to buy 3.3 million shares at the IPO price over the next 30 days. So if the stock soars over the next few weeks, the underwriters can pick up shares relatively cheaply. If all those sell, Reddit will pull in another $112.2 million or so. One other interesting aspect of Reddit going public is that it invited long-term users in good standing the chance to snap up shares at the IPO pricing over the last few weeks.

It’s been a long road for Reddit to go public, and it’s doing so long after many of its peers (the last major social media IPO was Pinterest back in 2019). Conde Nast bought Reddit in 2006, just over a year after the platform went live, and spun it back out as an independent subsidiary in 2011. Reddit first filed for an IPO in 2021.

The company has had plenty of controversies to address during its run. Last year, users protested against the company's decision to start charging for API access, effectively killing some third-party apps that hooked into the platform. Thousands of subreddits went private and/or stopped letting users post for a while. Indeed, in its S-1 filing, Reddit notes the importance of its users, stating that if "engagement declines, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects will be harmed."

Most recently, Reddit signed a deal with Google said to be worth $60 million a year to train the latter’s AI models on user-generated content. Reddit later said the Federal Trade Commission was looking into the arrangement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-is-now-a-publicly-traded-company-144455403.html?src=rss

Reddit is now a publicly traded company

Nineteen years after its debut, Reddit is now a publicly traded company. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RDDT for the first time on Thursday, with mascot Snoo on hand to ring the opening bell.

The company aimed to sell 15.3 million shares at $34 a pop to raise around $519.4 million. Stockholders collectively planned to sell 6.7 million shares in the IPO for a total of $228.6 million (Reddit itself wouldn't see any of that money though). The IPO price values Reddit at just under $6.5 billion.

The sale’s underwriters also have the option to buy 3.3 million shares at the IPO price over the next 30 days. So if the stock soars over the next few weeks, the underwriters can pick up shares relatively cheaply. If all those sell, Reddit will pull in another $112.2 million or so. One other interesting aspect of Reddit going public is that it invited long-term users in good standing the chance to snap up shares at the IPO pricing over the last few weeks.

It’s been a long road for Reddit to go public, and it’s doing so long after many of its peers (the last major social media IPO was Pinterest back in 2019). Conde Nast bought Reddit in 2006, just over a year after the platform went live, and spun it back out as an independent subsidiary in 2011. Reddit first filed for an IPO in 2021.

The company has had plenty of controversies to address during its run. Last year, users protested against the company's decision to start charging for API access, effectively killing some third-party apps that hooked into the platform. Thousands of subreddits went private and/or stopped letting users post for a while. Indeed, in its S-1 filing, Reddit notes the importance of its users, stating that if "engagement declines, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects will be harmed."

Most recently, Reddit signed a deal with Google said to be worth $60 million a year to train the latter’s AI models on user-generated content. Reddit later said the Federal Trade Commission was looking into the arrangement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-is-now-a-publicly-traded-company-144455403.html?src=rss

Meta, Microsoft, X and Match Group come out swinging against Apple’s third-party payment rules

Several notable names have joined Epic Games in taking a stance against Apple's decision to charge a fee for iOS payments made outside of the App Store. Meta, Microsoft, X and Match Group filed an amicus brief in the case, as The Wall Street Journal reports. That lends some heavyweight backing to Epic's cause.

Apple was forced to enable third-party payments on iOS due to the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) and a court ruling in the US. It also has to allow alternative app marketplaces on iOS in the EU. The company takes up to a 30 percent cut of App Store purchases. Perhaps fearing that it was about to lose out on a significant chunk of commission, Apple said it would charge a fee of up to 27 percent when developers process purchases outside of the App Store.

Epic this month filed a petition asking District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to enforce a permanent injunction she issued against Apple in 2021 as part of her ruling in the case between the two companies. The decision compelled Apple to allow developers to direct users to alternative payment systems.

Most of Rogers' ruling was in Apple's favor, however, and both companies appealed the decision all the way up to the Supreme Court. However, in January, the highest court in the US declined to hear the appeals. That means Rogers' permanent injunction against Apple stood, but Epic was not happy about the way Apple implemented the third-party payment changes.

The four companies supporting Epic's petition claim that the fee Apple is charging on external payments effectively leaves the previous rules in place. "The Apple Plan comports with neither the letter nor the spirit of this Court's mandate," their brief states.

As X put it, the 27 percent fee doesn't give developers much incentive to link to external payment methods. Microsoft, which has been working on its own mobile game store, noted that Apple's latest policy limits its ability to offer users subscriptions and discounts. Match Group argued that Apple's decision will affect many developers and users, and that it stymies the court's attempt to offer consumers competition on pricing.

Meta, meanwhile, charges more for its ad-free plans and boosted posts on its iOS apps than it does on the web. (The ad-free subscription is also more expensive in the company's Android apps, as Google takes a cut of in-app payments too). Meta states in the amicus brief that it ought to be able to direct users to other payment options for boosted posts.

Apple claims to have complied with the court order. According to the Journal, the company (which is reportedly facing a Justice Department antitrust case) says its current external link policies are important to protect user privacy and security. Apple has also been dinged over its compliance with the DMA, with critics suggesting the company might be adhering to the letter of the law, but not its spirit. 

For what it's worth, Meta, Microsoft, X and Match Group filed their petition one day after the EU's antitrust chief warned Apple over new fees it's charging developers (and Meta over its ad-free subscription). Margrethe Vestager told Reuters that feedback from developers would play an important factor in whether the bloc investages Apple, Meta or any other company subject to the DMA's rules. She noted that she had received "quite a lot" of comments from third parties.

Meanwhile, Epic is gearing up to debut its game store on both iOS and Android later this year. The company said at the Game Developer Conference that the store would be cross-platform between mobile, PC and macOS. The company plans to charge developers of mobile games the same 12 percent cut it takes from PC game sales.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-microsoft-x-and-match-group-come-out-swinging-against-apples-third-party-payment-rules-200705867.html?src=rss

Peacock’s 2024 Paris Olympics coverage includes enhanced multiview options

The 2024 Summer Olympics are just 128 days away. They'll be here before you know it, so what better time to learn about all the groovy features that the Games' streaming home, Peacock, has lined up?

The platform will host more than 5,000 hours of live coverage across the two weeks, including each of the 329 medal events. That's far more than anyone could possibly watch during the Games, so to help you keep track of several events at once, Peacock is offering several multiview options. On TVs, tablets and desktop browsers (but not phones, sadly), you'll be able to watch four matches at the same time in sports such as track and field, soccer and wrestling in a traditional multiview format. 

A mode called Peacock Discovery Multiview aims to direct you to the most important events. Here, you'll see on-screen descriptions telling you what's at stake (such as whether there's an elimination risk or if it's a medal event) or if you're watching a first-time Olympian. In both multiview modes, you can move the screens around, choose the audio track you want to listen to and click through to watch an event in full screen. Peacock will offer you up to four multiview options at any given time.

A sample of the Peacock Live Actions feature. During live coverage, Peacock Live Actions will allow fans to choose to continue watching the live feed of a specific event instead of staying with whip-around coverage. Peacock Live Actions will also allow viewers watching the NBC Primetime simulcast to add upcoming events to their “My Stuff” list to watch later.
Peacock / NBCUniversal

Another key new feature is called Peacock Live Actions. The idea here is to help you follow the events you're most interested in. So, if you're really enjoying a live gymnastics session but the whip-around coverage on the Gold Show broadcast is about to switch over to weightlifting or something, you can hit a button to keep watching the action on the parallel bars. Peacock says the feature will also allow those watching the NBC primetime simulcast to add events to their My Stuff list to watch later.

Elsewhere, you'll be able to browse through the coverage by sport and check out an interactive schedule. The Catch Up with Key Plays tool will be available for basketball and golf on top of soccer. And along with up-to-date medal standings, you'll be able to search for your favorite athletes. This will bring you to live events and replays including your favorite competitor, regardless of whether they're competing individually or as part of a team.

While the Olympics don't start for another few months, you can subscribe to Peacock now. If you do so and opt for an annual plan, you'll get 12 months of access for the price of 10.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/peacocks-2024-paris-olympics-coverage-includes-enhanced-multiview-options-190047120.html?src=rss

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, from Amy Hennig’s studio, arrives in 2025

It's been almost three years since we found out that former Naughty Dog and Visceral Games writer and creative director Amy Hennig was working on a Marvel game with her team at Skydance New Media. During Epic Games' State of Unreal showcase at the Game Developers Conference, a new story trailer shed some more light on the game, which is called Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.

As the name suggests, it's set during World War II in Occupied Paris. You'll play as four characters in this story-driven action-adventure: a young Steve Rogers (better known as Captain America), T'Challa's grandfather Azzuri (the Black Panther of his era), US soldier and Howling Commandos member Gabriel Jones and Wakandan spy Nanali.

The trailer shows Captain America taking out some foes (presumably Nazis) with his shield as he looks for Black Panther, who we see scampering over rooftops. It ends with the pair clashing on a bridge, but what are the odds that they (along with Gabriel and Nanali) form a shaky alliance to battle a common enemy?

Skydance New Media is using Unreal Engine 5.4 to build the game. The trailer has some striking visual,s including highly detailed facial animations and environments, which are seemingly reflective of what the game actually looks like. "All the sequences you just saw in that trailer are pulled right out of our game, running real-time in Unreal Engine 5," Hennig said. 'No smoke and mirrors." We'll have to wait a little longer — until Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra arrives in 2025 — to see if Hennig's claims stand up.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/marvel-1943-rise-of-hydra-from-amy-hennigs-studio-arrives-in-2025-173514552.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy S24 phones are on sale for record-low prices at Amazon

Samsung makes some of the best Android phones you can get right now and the latest models have dropped to all-time-low prices. If you've been waiting for a good deal on the high-end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, you're in luck — the handset with 256GB of storage is $150 off and down to $1,150. The Galaxy S24+ is also on sale for $850 right now.

We gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a score of 89 in our review. We found it to be very expensive (this discount helps mitigate that!) and the design and lack of Qi 2 support were drawbacks. However, we appreciated the camera upgrades and felt the S24 Ultra delivered great performance and offered terrific battery life. It often had a 50 percent charge remaining after 24 hours of regular use, thanks to the large battery and power efficiency gains afforded by the new processor.

One other major thing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powers is a host of on-device generative AI (GAI) features, the big selling point for the Galaxy lineup this year as Samsung tries to compete with Google Pixel devices on that front. An interpreter mode can translate languages during calls, while the Chat Assist tool can check the grammar, spelling and tone of your messages before sending them. There are also AI-powered options for image editing and search. While the AI tools more or less work as expected, we felt that they're not quite as polished as Google's versions. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is our pick for the best premium Android phone.

The Galaxy S24+ also has a $150 discount right now. That too marks a record low for a version with 256GB of storage — the handset currently costs $850. Like its smaller sibling, the S24, the S24+ earned a score of 87 in our review. We appreciated the battery life and (for the most part) the GAI tools, though we felt that low-light photography performance was somewhat lacking. Those who prefer foldables may be more interested in the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Again, that's $150 off at $850 for 256GB of storage. However, it's $50 more than the lowest price we've seen for the handset thus far.

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/samsung-galaxy-s24-phones-are-on-sale-for-record-low-prices-at-amazon-144742331.html?src=rss

First cyberflasher convicted in England is sentenced to 66 weeks in jail

A man has been jailed for 66 weeks in England after pleading guilty to cyberflashing. Nicholas Hawkes is the first person to be convicted of the crime in the country under the Online Safety Act. Cyberflashing (sending unsolicited photos of genitalia) was outlawed in England and Wales under the law on January 31.

“Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke," prosecutor Hannah von Dadelzsen said in a statement. “Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law."

Registered sex offender Hawkes, of Basildon, Essex, admitted to sending a photo of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in early February. The woman took screenshots of the image and reported it to police. Cyberflashing victims receive lifelong anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act after reporting such crimes.

Hawkes pleaded guilty on February 12 to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation. He was held in custody until his sentencing on Tuesday. Hawkes was jailed for one year for the cyberflashing counts, and 14 weeks for breaching a previous order. He was convicted last year of exposure and sexual activity with a child under 16 and was sentenced to a community order.

Some other jurisdictions have similar laws against cyberflashing. Scotland banned it in 2010 and Northern Ireland followed suit last year. Singapore made it a crime in 2019, while the practice is illegal in some circumstances in Australia. Some states have moved to tackle cyberflashing too, including California, Virginia and Texas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/first-cyberflasher-convicted-in-england-is-sentenced-to-66-weeks-in-jail-182615668.html?src=rss

First cyberflasher convicted in England is sentenced to 66 weeks in jail

A man has been jailed for 66 weeks in England after pleading guilty to cyberflashing. Nicholas Hawkes is the first person to be convicted of the crime in the country under the Online Safety Act. Cyberflashing (sending unsolicited photos of genitalia) was outlawed in England and Wales under the law on January 31.

“Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke," prosecutor Hannah von Dadelzsen said in a statement. “Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law."

Registered sex offender Hawkes, of Basildon, Essex, admitted to sending a photo of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in early February. The woman took screenshots of the image and reported it to police. Cyberflashing victims receive lifelong anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act after reporting such crimes.

Hawkes pleaded guilty on February 12 to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation. He was held in custody until his sentencing on Tuesday. Hawkes was jailed for one year for the cyberflashing counts, and 14 weeks for breaching a previous order. He was convicted last year of exposure and sexual activity with a child under 16 and was sentenced to a community order.

Some other jurisdictions have similar laws against cyberflashing. Scotland banned it in 2010 and Northern Ireland followed suit last year. Singapore made it a crime in 2019, while the practice is illegal in some circumstances in Australia. Some states have moved to tackle cyberflashing too, including California, Virginia and Texas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/first-cyberflasher-convicted-in-england-is-sentenced-to-66-weeks-in-jail-182615668.html?src=rss

This Shark self-emptying robot vacuum is $300 off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale

Robot vacuums are one of the great modern conveniences. They can check one time-sapping chore off your daily to-do list and if you can find a self-emptying model for a decent price, that’s one fewer thing for you to worry about. As it happens, the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum is a self-emptying option and it’s 46 percent off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale. That means it’s currently $350, which is $300 off the regular price and not too far away from its record low.

This is a variant of one of our top robot vacuum recommendations and Shark devices are by and large nearly as good as the ones Roomba makes.

A self-emptying robot vacuum is generally preferable to one without that feature, as you won't need to keep buying garbage bags for it. This one's base holds up to 60 days of muck, so you may only need to empty it every couple of months. It has a HEPA filtration system that Shark claims can capture and trap up to 99.97 percent of dust and allergens.

The AV2501AE will run for up to 120 minutes on a single charge. If that's not enough to cover your home, it will return to its base, recharge and then continue from where it left off. The vacuum uses a matrix grid approach and it makes multiple passes over debris and dirt to pick up as much of it as possible. The device uses LiDAR vision to map your home and steer clear of objects in its path. You'll be able to set up a cleaning schedule or start an ad hoc clean through the app or by Alexa or Google Assistant voice command.

The price of this model has dropped as part of a broader sale on vacuums and robot vacuums. Meanwhile, the Amazon Big Spring Sale runs until March 25.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-shark-self-emptying-robot-vacuum-is-300-off-for-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-143923650.html?src=rss