Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Quicken Simplifi subscriptions are half off through April 21

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Subscriptions to the budgeting app Quicken Simplifi are half off through April 21. The price has been brought down to just $2 per month, which is billed annually at $24. The deal also extends to Quicken Classic, which adds more features for investments and tracking taxes. This tier now costs $4 per month, instead of $8 per month. It’s also billed annually.

Quicken Simplifi is pretty much the budgeting app to beat all budgeting apps. There’s a reason, after all, that it topped our list of the best budgeting apps and our collection of the best apps to replace Mint. We’ve consistently praised the user-friendly interface that makes it easy to get started and keep an eye on things. Users have instantaneous access to various metrics, like top-line balances, net worth, recent spending, upcoming recurring payments and more.

We also loved how simple (pun intended) it is to set up customized savings goals and the like. The UI is clean, yet offers playful visualizations to keep things interesting. It integrates with most financial institutions, including Fidelity. Users can also invite a spouse or a financial manager to co-manage the account.

There’s no integration with Zillow, so people can’t track fluctuations in home value, which is something that competing apps like Monarch Money and Copilot Money offer. It requires manual entry of real estate information, just like any other asset. We also experienced some small errors during use, in which the app miscategorized some expenses, though this was in line with other products we tested. There’s no option for a free trial, so $2 per month is about as close as it gets. Just remember to cancel before the year is up if things don’t work out.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/quicken-simplifi-subscriptions-are-half-off-through-april-21-190006927.html?src=rss

Razer’s Kishi Ultra gaming controller works with damn near everything, including some foldables

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Razer just released the Kishi Ultra mobile gaming controller, a successor to the popular Kishi V2 Pro. It’s filled with improvements, including a larger form factor to accommodate beefier mobile devices like 8-inch tablets and even some foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The controller also offers USB-C compatibility, so it should work with just about any device out there, as long as it fits. Remember, even modern Apple products now include USB-C ports.

Razer says the controller has been “designed to provide an authentic console experience on the iPhone 15 series, iPad Mini, and Android tablets with 8-inch displays.” To that end, it features the company’s proprietary Sensa HD haptics technology, which includes a haptic coil near each hand to increase immersion. The company says this experience will actually surpass what's found with traditional console controllers. The newly-released Interhaptics SDK will even allow developers to “craft bespoke haptic experiences.”

This immersion is further improved by integration with Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting system. This allows for customizable lighting schemes, which lets players bring “a piece of their gamer room setup with them.” Beyond the lighting and haptics, the controller boasts the company’s proprietary Mecha-Tactile ABXY buttons and 8-way D-pad. There are console-sized hall effect triggers, programmable L4/R4 multifunction buttons and full-sized thumb sticks, complete with anti-friction rings. The expanded form factor also means it should work with most devices without having to remove the case.

An image showing the controller and the Nexus app.
Razer

The controller can access Razer’s subscription-free Nexus app, which pulls up custom button-mapping for thousands of compatible games across iOS and Android.. This means that it’ll be a plug and play experience for the vast majority of available content, without having to fiddle with control settings. Additionally, the Nexus app lets users record and share gameplay.

The Razer Kishi Ultra is available right now and costs $150. The controller is joined by an updated version of the Kishi V2, which now connects via USB-C. That one costs $100.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-kishi-ultra-gaming-controller-works-with-damn-near-everything-including-some-foldables-173017166.html?src=rss

Meta rolls out an updated AI assistant, built with the long-awaited Llama 3

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Meta just announced a major update for its AI assistant platform, Meta AI, which has been built using the long-awaited open source Llama 3 large language model (LLM). The company says it's “now the most intelligent AI assistant you can use for free.” As for use case scenarios, the company touts the ability to help users study for tests, plan dinners and schedule nights out. You know the drill. It’s an AI chatbot.

Meta AI, however, has expanded into just about every nook and cranny throughout the company’s entire portfolio, after a test run with Instagram DMs last week. It’s still available with Instagram, but now users can access it on Messenger, Facebook feeds and Whatsapp. The chatbot also has a dedicated web portal at, wait for it, meta.ai. You don’t need a company login to use it this way, though it won’t generate images. Those recently-released Ray-Ban smart glasses also integrate with the bot, with Quest headset integration coming soon.

On the topic of image generation, Meta says it's now much faster and will produce images as you type. It also handles custom animated GIFs, which is pretty cool. Hopefully, it can successfully generate images of different races of people. We found that it struggled with this basic concept a couple of weeks back, as it seemed biased toward creating images of people of the same race, even when prompted otherwise.

Meta’s also expanding global availability along with this update, as Meta AI is coming to more than a dozen countries outside of the US. These include Australia, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Pakistan, Uganda and others. However, there’s one major caveat. It’s only in English, which doesn’t seem that useful to a global audience, but whatever.

As for safety and reliability, the company says Llama 3 has been trained on an expanded data set when compared to Llama 2. It also used synthetic data to create lengthy documents to train on and claims it excluded all data sources that are known to contain a “high volume of personal information about private individuals.” Meta says it conducted a series of evaluations to see how the chatbot would handle risk areas like conversations about weapons, cyber attacks and child exploitation, and adjusted as required. In our brief testing with the product, we've already run into hallucinations, as seen below. 

Meta AI makes a mistake on a recipe.
Engadget/Karissa Bell

AI has become one of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's pet projects, along with raising really expensive cattle for beef in a secluded Hawaiian compound, but the company’s still playing catch up to OpenAI and, to a lesser extent, Google. Meta’s Llama 2 never really wowed users, due to a limited feature set, so maybe this new version of the AI assistant will catch lightning in a bottle. At the very least, it should be able to draw lightning in a bottle, or more accurately, slightly tweak someone else’s drawing of lightning in a bottle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-rolls-out-an-updated-ai-assistant-built-with-the-long-awaited-llama-3-160053435.html?src=rss

Samsung’s Galaxy A35 midrange smartphone is officially available in the US

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The Samsung Galaxy A35 smartphone is officially available for US customers. We knew it was coming to the US, but we didn't know when. The phone starts at $400 and is available in two colors. It’s already been available in the UK since March.

The Galaxy A35 is squarely a midrange device, so don’t go expecting flagship features. However, this is still a capable smartphone with plenty of bang for your buck. Samsung’s A-series devices tend to be among our favorite low-cost smartphones. This model boasts a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, just like its cousin the Galaxy A55. The Galaxy A35 also features the company’s Vision Booster software, which automatically adjusts the screen’s tone to suit different ambient lighting conditions.

It also includes Samsung’s proprietary Knox Vault technology, which originally debuted with the Galaxy S21. This is a separate memory device within the phone for storing sensitive data like blockchain keys, biometric information and authentication credentials. The A35 and the A55 are the first midrange devices in Samsung’s lineup to get this tech.

Android Police has reported that the A35 features a modest Exynos 1380 processor, with an option for 6GB or 8GB of RAM. As for storage, there’s a 128GB model and a 256GB model, with no microSD card slot for additional room.

It includes three rear cameras. There’s a 50MP main camera and a 5MP macro lens, with a relatively pedestrian 8MP ultra-wide lens. The front includes a 13MP camera for selfies and the like. There’s also optical image stabilization (OIS) and video digital image stabilization (VDIS) to offset camera shake.

Again, these phones start at $400 and are hitting store shelves right now. They come in two colors with, with names like “Awesome Navy" and "Awesome Lilac." Not sure something can induce awe just by saying so, but whatever. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-a35-midrange-smartphone-is-officially-available-in-the-us-130016998.html?src=rss

Samsung’s Galaxy A35 midrange smartphone is officially available in the US

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The Samsung Galaxy A35 smartphone is officially available for US customers. We knew it was coming to the US, but we didn't know when. The phone starts at $400 and is available in two colors. It’s already been available in the UK since March.

The Galaxy A35 is squarely a midrange device, so don’t go expecting flagship features. However, this is still a capable smartphone with plenty of bang for your buck. Samsung’s A-series devices tend to be among our favorite low-cost smartphones. This model boasts a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, just like its cousin the Galaxy A55. The Galaxy A35 also features the company’s Vision Booster software, which automatically adjusts the screen’s tone to suit different ambient lighting conditions.

It also includes Samsung’s proprietary Knox Vault technology, which originally debuted with the Galaxy S21. This is a separate memory device within the phone for storing sensitive data like blockchain keys, biometric information and authentication credentials. The A35 and the A55 are the first midrange devices in Samsung’s lineup to get this tech.

Android Police has reported that the A35 features a modest Exynos 1380 processor, with an option for 6GB or 8GB of RAM. As for storage, there’s a 128GB model and a 256GB model, with no microSD card slot for additional room.

It includes three rear cameras. There’s a 50MP main camera and a 5MP macro lens, with a relatively pedestrian 8MP ultra-wide lens. The front includes a 13MP camera for selfies and the like. There’s also optical image stabilization (OIS) and video digital image stabilization (VDIS) to offset camera shake.

Again, these phones start at $400 and are hitting store shelves right now. They come in two colors with, with names like “Awesome Navy" and "Awesome Lilac." Not sure something can induce awe just by saying so, but whatever. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-a35-midrange-smartphone-is-officially-available-in-the-us-130016998.html?src=rss

Slack rolls out its AI tools to all paying customers

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Slack just rolled out its AI tools to all paying users, after releasing them to a select subset of customers earlier this year. The company’s been teasing these features since last year and, well, now they’re here.

The AI auto-generates channel recaps to give people key highlights of stuff they missed while away from the keyboard or smartphone, for keeping track of important work stuff and office in-jokes. Slack says the algorithm that generates these recaps is smart enough to pull content from the various topics discussed in the channel. This means that you’ll get a paragraph on how plans are going for Jenny’s cake party in the conference room and another on sales trends or whatever.

There’s something similar available for threads, which are smaller conversations between one or a few people. The tool will recap any of these threads into a short paragraph. Customers can also opt into a daily recap for any channel or thread, delivered each morning.

Slack AI in use.
Slack

Another interesting feature is conversational search. The various Slack channels stretch on forever and it can be tough to find the right chat when necessary. This allows people to ask questions using natural language, with the algorithm doing the actual searching.

These tools aren’t just for English speakers, as Slack AI now offers Japanese and Spanish language support. Slack says it’ll soon integrate some of its most-used third-party apps into the AI ecosystem. To that end, integration with Salesforce’s Einstein Copilot is coming in the near future.

It remains to be seen if these tools will actually be helpful or if they’re just more excuses to put the letters “AI” in promotional materials. I’ve been on Slack a long time and I haven’t encountered too many scenarios in which I’d need a series of auto-generated recaps, as longer conversations are typically relegated to one-on-one meetings, emails or video streams. However, maybe this will change how people use the service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/slack-rolls-out-its-ai-tools-to-all-paying-customers-120045296.html?src=rss

Slack rolls out its AI tools to all paying customers

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Slack just rolled out its AI tools to all paying users, after releasing them to a select subset of customers earlier this year. The company’s been teasing these features since last year and, well, now they’re here.

The AI auto-generates channel recaps to give people key highlights of stuff they missed while away from the keyboard or smartphone, for keeping track of important work stuff and office in-jokes. Slack says the algorithm that generates these recaps is smart enough to pull content from the various topics discussed in the channel. This means that you’ll get a paragraph on how plans are going for Jenny’s cake party in the conference room and another on sales trends or whatever.

There’s something similar available for threads, which are smaller conversations between one or a few people. The tool will recap any of these threads into a short paragraph. Customers can also opt into a daily recap for any channel or thread, delivered each morning.

Slack AI in use.
Slack

Another interesting feature is conversational search. The various Slack channels stretch on forever and it can be tough to find the right chat when necessary. This allows people to ask questions using natural language, with the algorithm doing the actual searching.

These tools aren’t just for English speakers, as Slack AI now offers Japanese and Spanish language support. Slack says it’ll soon integrate some of its most-used third-party apps into the AI ecosystem. To that end, integration with Salesforce’s Einstein Copilot is coming in the near future.

It remains to be seen if these tools will actually be helpful or if they’re just more excuses to put the letters “AI” in promotional materials. I’ve been on Slack a long time and I haven’t encountered too many scenarios in which I’d need a series of auto-generated recaps, as longer conversations are typically relegated to one-on-one meetings, emails or video streams. However, maybe this will change how people use the service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/slack-rolls-out-its-ai-tools-to-all-paying-customers-120045296.html?src=rss

There’s a TV show coming based on Sega’s classic arcade game Golden Axe

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Comedy Central just greenlit a cartoon based on the classic Sega arcade cabinet Golden Axe, further proving we are in something of a gilded age of video game adaptations. The animated show is getting a ten-episode first season and features a voice cast filled with comedic heavy hitters, like Danny Pudi from Community and Carl Tart from Grand Crew (RIP) and the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast universe.

It also stars Matthew Rhys, from The Americans and Perry Mason, and comedian Lisa Gilroy. The pilot is being written by Mike McMahon, the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Solar Opposites, and Joe Chandler, a regular writer for American Dad. Chandler is the showrunner and McMahon is on board as the executive producer. Interestingly, several big Sega names are also involved with the show, including Haruki Satomi, Shuki Utsumi and Toru Nakahara, the latter being largely responsible for shepherding the Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe.

The plot looks appropriately zany, as there wasn’t too much story in those old arcade cabinets. The show bills itself as a “hilarious and loving homage to Sega’s 1989 video game series” and follows several warriors as they attempt to save the realm from franchise antagonist Death Adder. It does look to be doing a deep dive on the franchise, as one of the characters is the panther/man hybrid beast from Golden Axe III. Comedy Central promises “plenty of exciting cameos” from the fictional world. There’s no release date yet and the show is still in the script-writing stage. Animation takes a long time, so hold your horses.

We’ve really gone from zero to sixty when it comes to game adaptations, right? In just the past year, we’ve had shows based on The Last of Us, Fallout, Twisted Metal and more. There’s also a little-known movie about two Italian plumbers that may or may not have set the box office on fire. A TV show based on another Sega property, Knuckles, premieres April 26 on Paramount+. 

As for Golden Axe, there hasn't been a franchise installment since 2008, though that's about to change. Sega recently announced that its rebooting the property, alongside other classics like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/theres-a-tv-show-coming-based-on-segas-classic-arcade-game-golden-axe-185336446.html?src=rss

There’s a TV show coming based on Sega’s classic arcade game Golden Axe

Posted on by

Comedy Central just greenlit a cartoon based on the classic Sega arcade cabinet Golden Axe, further proving we are in something of a gilded age of video game adaptations. The animated show is getting a ten-episode first season and features a voice cast filled with comedic heavy hitters, like Danny Pudi from Community and Carl Tart from Grand Crew (RIP) and the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast universe.

It also stars Matthew Rhys, from The Americans and Perry Mason, and comedian Lisa Gilroy. The pilot is being written by Mike McMahon, the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Solar Opposites, and Joe Chandler, a regular writer for American Dad. Chandler is the showrunner and McMahon is on board as the executive producer. Interestingly, several big Sega names are also involved with the show, including Haruki Satomi, Shuki Utsumi and Toru Nakahara, the latter being largely responsible for shepherding the Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe.

The plot looks appropriately zany, as there wasn’t too much story in those old arcade cabinets. The show bills itself as a “hilarious and loving homage to Sega’s 1989 video game series” and follows several warriors as they attempt to save the realm from franchise antagonist Death Adder. It does look to be doing a deep dive on the franchise, as one of the characters is the panther/man hybrid beast from Golden Axe III. Comedy Central promises “plenty of exciting cameos” from the fictional world. There’s no release date yet and the show is still in the script-writing stage. Animation takes a long time, so hold your horses.

We’ve really gone from zero to sixty when it comes to game adaptations, right? In just the past year, we’ve had shows based on The Last of Us, Fallout, Twisted Metal and more. There’s also a little-known movie about two Italian plumbers that may or may not have set the box office on fire. A TV show based on another Sega property, Knuckles, premieres April 26 on Paramount+. 

As for Golden Axe, there hasn't been a franchise installment since 2008, though that's about to change. Sega recently announced that its rebooting the property, alongside other classics like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/theres-a-tv-show-coming-based-on-segas-classic-arcade-game-golden-axe-185336446.html?src=rss

Apple renews For All Mankind and announces a spinoff series set in the Soviet Union

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For All Mankind is coming back for a fifth season of space-based alt-history hijinks on Apple TV+. This is unsurprising news, given the near-universal critical acclaim heaped on season four. However, the company also surprise-announced a spinoff series called Star City that will follow the Russian space program.

Original series creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi are all onboard for Star City, though there’s no cast yet. The plot synopsis calls it a “robust expansion” of the universe and refers to it as a “propulsive, paranoid thriller.” It also looks to be taking viewers back to the events of season one of For All Mankind, chronicling the Russian moon landing that started the story.

“This time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humanity forward,” Apple wrote in a press release.

The company didn’t say if the show would rely on frequent time jumps, like its forebear. To that end, Apple hasn't released any casting information for season five of For All Mankind. Given the show’s propensity toward expansive time skips, it’s highly possible series regulars like Joel Kinnaman and Krys Marshall are on their way out. After all, their characters were really getting up there in age and stretching credulity in season four. 

Joel Kinnaman looking old in a spaceship.
Apple TV+

This is some seriously good news for sci-fi fans, but still doesn’t take away the brutal sting of Star Trek: Lower Decks getting canceled. Paramount should probably just sell Star Trek to Apple already, since the latter actually seems to care about science fiction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-renews-for-all-mankind-and-announces-a-spinoff-series-set-in-the-soviet-union-173950761.html?src=rss