Engadget

29.10.2024 20:52 Polestar EV owners will soon have a lot more charging options. The company said on Tuesday its lineup now has access to the Tesla Supercharger network in the US and Canada. Future Polestar vehicles will adopt the NACS inlet as standard, and current owners can buy an adapter beginning today at their local Polestar Service Point. A Polestar spokesperson told Engadget that the adapter has an MSRP of $230, so this isn’t a free upgrade. However, that accessory will add 17,800 charging stations across North America, so owners may find that’s a relatively small price to pay for extra peace of mind on their next road trip. Tesla’s charger has quickly become the standard in the US. Since the company opened its charging tech to rival automakers, all major EV manufacturers have adopted it. This includes Ford , Honda, Volkswagen, GM, Volvo, Mercedes, BMW and Lucid. Polestar announced its plans to support the Tesla Supercharger network over a year ago, but the backend tech and adapter orders are now ready. Tim Stevens for Engadget Speaking of the adapters, the $230 accessories are slated for mid-November deliveries. So, if you order now, you should have more charging options on your holiday road trip to see Grandma. Polestar says its in-car Google Maps app will be updated to show all available NACS stations. Anders Gustafsson, Head of Polestar North America, emphasized in a press release the volume of charging options this move will add. “With the adoption of this standard, in combination with approximately 10,000 CCS DC fast chargers, current and prospective Polestar customers now have access to nearly 27,800 DC fast chargers and can feel more confident in their ability to charge on the go.” The Polestar 3 is delivering now. Engadget’s Tim Stevens took it for a spin and was left impressed with the $73,400 electric SUV. Emphasizing how badly Polestar needed the long-delayed vehicle to dazzle as a mass-market follow-up to its more niche predecessors, he said that minus a few early software glitches, it’s “great.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/north-american-polestar-owners-can-now-use-the-tesla-supercharger-network-164046134.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 20:52 If you’re an Xbox Insider, you can now test a new home screen when using the Windows Xbox app. In a blog post published yesterday, Microsoft showcased the redesigned interface, which unites the Game Pass and Microsoft Store experiences. Users can now find their games in one place and avoid tab-hopping. This new home tab will appear for anyone with either a Game Pass subscription or a game purchased from the Microsoft Store. Becoming an Xbox Insider is easy, as you only have to download and install the Xbox Insider Hub and test features in development. After you become a beta tester, enroll in the “PC Gaming Preview” to gain access to the new home screen. The new menu now shows featured content and discounted games, all in a single tab. It can even curate titles based on your preferences. The “jump back in” feature tested in May is part of the new home screen experience as of yesterday. This feature allows Compact Mode users to jump back into gameplay when not currently playing any game. It shows the nine most recent titles you’ve played, and jumping back in takes very little time at all. You can see it as a shortcut feature. Compact Mode, as the name suggests, shrinks the interface down by replacing tabs with icons. If you own a Windows handheld console, it already has Compact Mode enabled when you launch the Xbox app. Since becoming an Xbox Insider takes no time at all, you can easily see if you’re eligible for the preview. Microsoft is encouraging testers to provide feedback and report problems.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/xbox-insiders-can-now-test-the-windows-xbox-apps-redesigned-home-screen-163021760.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 20:52 The well-regarded Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are on sale for $300 via Amazon. This deal knocks $100 off the price, which is a discount of 25 percent. The sale applies to multiple colorways, including black, blue and silver. These headphones not only found a spot on our list of the best wireless headphones, but they were our very favorite pair. We found them to be exceptionally comfortable, even when wearing the headphones for long periods of time. The ANC is great and the battery life clocks in at around 30 hours per charge, which is a fantastic metric. The sound is the most important thing with headphones and this model is no slouch. We admired the “crisp, clear sound with balanced tuning and punchy bass.” This is due to new 30mm carbon fiber drivers. In our official review, we noticed that the bass seemed punchier than previous models. We noted that “the lower range is both pleasant and powerful, expanding the overall soundstage.” We did run into occasional audio issues with macOS, but that was two years ago and it’s likely everything has been patched by now. The only other downside is the price, as $400 is a lot to spend on something like over-ear headphones. However, this deal brings it down to $300 which makes things much more palatable. 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/deals/sonys-excellent-wh-1000xm5-headphones-are-100-off-right-now-162027774.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 20:52 Lucid has revealed US pricing and pre-order details for its electric Gravity SUV. The Grand Touring trim, which is slated to have more than 800 horsepower and a range topping 440 miles, starts at $94,900. Pre-orders for that trim open on November 7 and Lucid plans to begin production later this year. Current Lucid owners will be given priority for delivery. If you don't want to shell out quite so much for the EV and you're willing to wait until at least next year, you might opt for the Lucid Gravity Touring model. That starts at $79,900, which lines up with Lucid's previous pricing estimates. The SUV, which Lucid first gave us a peek at in 2022, has room for up to seven adults and as much as 120 cubic feet of cargo space for all your stuff. Options include a frunk seat that two adults can sit on while the Gravity is parked, and three-chamber air suspension that's said to adapt to changing terrain for a smooth ride. Things haven't exactly gone easy for Lucid over the last couple of years. It laid off 400 people, around six percent of its workforce, in May, after shedding 1,300 jobs just over a year earlier. The company will hoping that the Gravity can help it turn things around, though whether enough people are ready to part with at least $79,900 for one of its SUVs is a key part of the equation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/lucids-electric-gravity-suv-starts-at-79900-161020540.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 20:52 What we once called the Google Chromecast is now the Google TV Streamer. I won’t pretend to understand the reasoning behind any product’s rebrand, but at least this one makes a bit of sense. Casting content from elsewhere used to be a big reason TV dongles existed. Today, streaming devices primarily provide the brains required to watch content from Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services on almost any screen, and casting is a bit of an afterthought. A name that focuses on Google TV’s interface instead of casting seems right in 2024. This is Google’s first true set-top box, joining the non-dongle ranks of the Roku Ultra, the Apple TV 4K and Amazon’s Fire TV Cube. The Google TV Streamer is only available in a 4K configuration and, once the backstock of Chromecast units sell out, it’ll be Google’s only streamer, period. While that makes the lineup far simpler than, say Amazon’s bloated Fire TV device catalog, it also means you have to pay the 4K premium even if you only have an HD TV. That said, the streamer is a full-featured, competent device with an interface that’s better than most at pulling together all the disparate threads of a streaming experience. Add in perks like useful smart home integration and some fun-to-have AI smarts and the $100 streamer fairly earns its price tag. Hardware Now that Google’s device sits next to your TV instead of hiding behind it, looks are important. Thankfully, the soft, oblong-wedge shape is unobtrusive, though the darker hazel color probably does a better job of fading into the background than my bright white review unit. The back has room for the provided USB-C power cable, plus an HDMI port and an Ethernet jack . Ethernet is optional, but without the video cable the device is useless, so you have to factor that into your cost analysis if you don’t already have an extra cord handy. Inside, there’s a processor that Google will only say is “22 percent faster” than the previous generation, along with 32GB of storage and double the memory at 4GB. It supports up to 4K/60fps video with HDR, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Audio formats include Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos along with spatial audio if you’re wearing the Pixel Buds Pro. It only supports Wi-Fi 5, which seems like a miss — a bump up to the Wi-Fi 6E standard would be more futureproof. Heck, even the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K supports Wi-Fi 6. The remote looks a lot like that of the previous generation, with two significant improvements: The volume controls are easier to reach now that they’re on the face instead of the side, and there’s a programmable star button that you can use to launch an app, or, more excitingly, pull up your smart home control panel. Possibly my favorite thing about the remote isn’t on the remote itself — it’s the find-it button on the back of the streamer. It rings your remote, and quite loudly. You can also do this via the Google Home app on your phone or tablet by tapping the Google TV Streamer tile and hitting the settings icon . Despite living in a tiny apartment with fewer places for the remote to get lost, I used the finder function no fewer than ten times over the course of my testing. The remote still doesn’t have a dedicated play/pause button and instead relies on the button in the center of the D-pad as the main control. When I tested the Chromecast with Google TV, that led to frustration when the center button kept performing actions other than pause, but this seems to be something Google has addressed as I had no issues this time. The controller is small and hefty, yet it’s so smooth it would pop out of my hand when typing a longer search entry. But really, you should just use the voice button; the voice recognition never once misinterpreted what I said. Photo by Amy Skorheim for Engadget Setup and streaming experience Of all the smart home platforms I’ve tested, I find Google’s to be the easiest to use. The majority of the setup for the streamer happens through the Google Home app, and if you’ve already been using the app, the entire process is painless — the hardest part is clicking through all the various permissions and legal terms. Configuring the controls for power and sound went through on the first try, something that hasn’t always been the case with other devices I’ve tested. I also like that I was prompted to create a kid profile from the jump , along with a pin that’s easy to enter on the remote. Before landing you in the home page, Google asks for every streaming service you subscribe to or, in the case of free apps, the ones you like to watch. So from the first time you use the streamer, your homepage is populated not only with those apps, but also with TV and movie recommendations pulled from each. Navigation will be familiar for many, as the Google TV interface comes standard on a wide range of TV sets. But depending on which smart TV you have, the experience could be a lot zippier with the Google TV Streamer employed. I’m currently working with a dirt-cheap Hisense 4K set with Google TV built-in, and speeds were noticeably improved when I used the external device. Apps loaded quickly and even with the zero-attention-span manner in which I was flitting between shows, apps, live content and settings, the streamer kept up with barely perceptible lag. The Apple TV 4K is still faster , so this isn’t category-topping but it’s plenty speedy. If you’re not familiar, I’ll just say that of all the smart TV interfaces I've tested, Google TV does the best job of integrating content from all the different streaming apps into one useful and intuitive hub. And, whatever other monopolistic issues the company may have, it’s the most egalitarian when it comes to recommendations versus, say, Apple, Amazon or Roku, all of which favor their own content . The For You page keeps track of what you’re currently watching across apps so you can easily dive back in, and does a fairly good job of recommending new stuff based on your watching habits. I also love the Watchlist feature ; when someone at work recommends the trailer for the upcoming Interior Chinatown, or you hear that Severance is coming back soon, you can add those shows to the Watchlist from within your browser and find it on your TV the next time you’re on the hunt for fresh content. While I wish the home screen/For You page was customizable, the algorithm is adept at keeping things interesting. Also, searching for titles is fairly spot-on. When I said, “Play Abbott Elementary,” the Hulu app opened and the next episode in my queue started playing. When show titles are a little more common, I’ll add in the platform name, like “Play Beef on Netflix” or “Play the show Poker Face on Peacock.” You can also ask the assistant to show you shows and movies based on a theme, like stand up comedy specials, adult animation or crime tv, by prefacing your query with “Find me…” Those results are hit or miss, but are nonetheless pulled fairly equitably from across your preferred apps. It can be useful if you’re not sure what to watch, but have a vague notion of the vibe you’re looking for. Photo by Amy Skorheim for Engadget Smart home control While Google has competition from Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV devices, which also integrate smart home controls, it has succeeded at making its home element simple and useful. The panel that slides out from the settings icon looks a lot like what you’d see on a Google Nest Hub. From there, you can easily control smart lights or thermostats and view live feeds from your connected cameras. If you program the star button to pull up your smart home panel, you can even do these things while you're watching a show: the show pauses, the panel slides out and then your content resumes once you’re done dimming the lights, checking the doorbell feed or whatever else needs doing. To control those functions with your voice, you’ll need to hold down the Assistant button. Some sets with Google TV built in let you access the Assistant with “Hey Google,” but not here. That’s likely because the only mic is on the remote, which doesn’t have the battery power to support an always-listening mode. But you can use the Assistant button to make your smart-home request from any screen, including when the TV is off . Now that Google’s streamer supports both the Matter standard and acts as a Thread router, many smart home devices are already compatible, and more are assuredly on the way. The streamer can do a few extra things like show you tomorrow’s weather, but it falls short on handling some pretty basic smart home assistant requests like setting a timer. And, despite Google’s vast search capabilities, it doesn’t seem to be able to answer basic questions. When I asked, “How far away is the moon?” as suggested in one of the company’s promotional how-to videos, it displayed a bunch of YouTube videos on the topic instead of a straight answer. That’s somewhat expected since it is a video streaming device, but because Google seems to frame this as a type of home hub, I found myself wishing it was a bit more capable ala a Nest mini or an Amazon Echo. Photo by Amy Skorheim for Engadget Additional AI features Because it’s 2024, you can’t have a new gadget without AI tricks, and for the streamer, those manifest in AI summaries, plot synopses and review aggregations on the title page of a given show or movie. The two-sentence, computer-made writeups are OK — probably not better than what a human could do, but not significantly worse. The other AI funsies happen with the screensaver. When your device is idle, you can have it show some art pulled from a mix of street murals, classic paintings, photography and aerial earth shots. Or it can show a selection from your Google Photos. Or, if you insist, it can display AI-generated images. The streamer can create those custom images based on your prompts, and the results here were also just fine. I asked for bicycles in space and was presented with the standard AI disregard for physics with two rusty bikes fused together to make a three-wheeled monstrosity in front of a Milky Way-esque ribbon of overly bright stars. I ultimately chose the non-AI art option to fill my screen. Even AI-concocted fairies camping on the moon bored me after a bit. That’s probably for the best, considering the carbon cost of each new image. When Google launched the TV Streamer, it also announced Google Freeplay, a built-in selection of around 150 free live-streaming channels similar to those offered from Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel and the like. If you add other live TV streaming services to your system, like Pluto TV or Sling, you’ll also see those show up in the Live tab where Freeplay sits — yet another way Google TV gamely melds content from different sources. Wrap-up At $100, the Google TV Streamer isn’t the most expensive streaming device. Amazon’s Fire TV Cube is $140, but it’s also a speaker. Apple’s non-Ethernet set-top box is $129, but comes with twice the storage capacity and an iPhone 14 chip inside that makes it ridiculously fast. Roku’s premium set-top box is also $100, but it supports Wi-Fi 6 and has a fancier backlit remote. Google’s previous-generation Chromecast supported 4K video and similar video formats — and it was half the price. Yes, the extra RAM and storage is great, but there are a few features — like Wi-Fi 6E support, true assistant capabilities, screaming processor speeds — that Google could have packed in to make the $100 price tag unassailable. Compared to its competition, and considering the fact that its predecessor cost half as much, it feels like the streamer should fall in the $80 range. But I’m not going to quibble over twenty bucks. The Google TV Streamer is responsive and quick, packing the best streaming interface out there with smart home features that are useful and properly integrated. Anyone looking for a reliable streamer will be happy adding this wedge beside their TV.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/google-tv-streamer-review-a-great-side-piece-for-your-tv-with-a-dash-of-smart-home-chops-and-inessential-ai-160034550.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 20:52 Meta and TikTok are once again in hot water for allegedly failing to protect minors or limit their use on the platforms. The Collective Defense Institute, a consumer rights group in Brazil, has issued two lawsuits against Meta, TikTok and Kwai, another short video platform from China, to the sound of three billion reais , Reuters reports. The lawsuits pull from some of the studies demonstrating the risk of social media use. It orders Meta and co. to clearly issue warnings about how platform addiction can negatively impact minors' mental health. It also calls for the companies to lay out detailed data protection mechanisms. "It is urgent that measures be adopted in order to change the way the algorithm works, the processing of data from users under 18, and the way in which teenagers aged 13 and over are supervised and their accounts created, in order to ensure a safer, healthier experience...as is already the case in developed countries," said Lillian Salgado, a lawyer and one of the plaintiffs. This is far from the first lawsuit for Meta or TikTok regarding the safety of minors. In late 2023, New Mexico sued Meta for not protecting children in a claim that both Facebook and Instagram suggested sexual content to minors. One month later it was revealed that, in a 2021 internal memo, Meta had found over 100,000 child users faced daily harassment. Yet, Meta executives rejected recommended algorithm redesigns. Earlier this month, 14 attorneys general sued TikTok for "falsely claiming its platform is safe for young people." These are just two of the many suits filed against social media platforms for not protecting young users. Meta recently created teen accounts on Instagram that are mandatory for all users under 16. They have stricter privacy settings and require parent approval for any changes. However, these accounts are not yet available in Brazil — though Meta claims they will be soon. A statement from Meta said it wants "young people to have safe and age-appropriate experiences on our apps, and we have been working on these issues for over a decade, developing more than 50 tools, resources, and features to support teens and their guardians." Notably, Brazil has recently squared off with Elon Musk's X for refusing to block profiles that the government claimed promoted election misinformation. The company eventually paid a 28 million reais .This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/brazil-sues-meta-and-tiktok-for-over-500-million-for-not-protecting-minors-154518826.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 20:52 Today, NASA published a new image of the Phantom Galaxy, also known as M74 and NGC 628. The James Webb Space Telescope captured it. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Webb telescope send a picture of the Phantom Galaxy back. NASA previously published one in 2022. Below is the 2022 image for comparison. Despite the different colors, it’s clear that both images are of the same galaxy. ESA/Webb, NASA CSA, J. Lee Webb captured the older image using only its Mid-InfraRed Instrument . Conversely, the new one combines data from MIRI and Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera . This combination allowed scientists from the Feedback in Emerging extrAgalactic Star clusTers team to observe the Phantom Galaxy’s nurseries. For the uninitiated, stellar nurseries are regions in space full of gasses and molecular clouds. They’re where stars and planets are born. For that reason, some people also refer to them as star-forming regions. The FEAST team’s primary mission is to examine stellar feedback in locations outside the Milky Way galaxy while also observing the formation of stars. By looking at how much energy from stars pours out into the surroundings, scientists can better understand how stars come into being. Combined data from Webb’s MIRI and NIRCam instruments allowed scientists to conclude that the spiral arms of the Phantom Galaxy are where stars are more actively forming in the celestial body. Thanks to NIRCam, the JWST can now also see hydrogen emission lines, which aren’t as affected by the dust and show where massive stars are newly formed. The JWST continues to send images back for us to enjoy, courtesy of a 68GB SSD. For those interested in viewing more, the ESA/Webb site has many of them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/webbs-latest-phantom-galaxy-image-sheds-light-on-stellar-feedback-153026022.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 Apple has been on a tear this week. The company announced both new iMacs and a refresh to the Mac Mini desktop computer. Buried in the announcement for the Mac Mini, however, is the news that they can be outfitted with the brand-new M4 Pro chip. That’s right. As expected, the M4 Pro has entered the chat. The big news? The Apple Silicon M4 Pro chip finally brings Thunderbolt 5 support for Macs. Thunderbolt 5 is a major leap forward in cable tech, with a baseline speed of 80 Gbps and support for 120 Gbps. The cables also offer support for dual 6K screens. This is a boon for Mac Mini users in video editing and related fields. Beyond that, M4 Pro chips bring a host of improvements. Apple says this is currently “the world’s fastest CPU core, delivering the industry’s best single-threaded performance.” The company also boasts of “dramatically faster multithreaded performance.” There are faster cores and a faster ray-tracing engine when compared to the previous generation. The M4 Pro features a 14-core CPU, with ten performance cores and four efficiency cores. There’s a 16-core neural engine, which the company says is three times faster than the now-ancient M1. The chip includes a 20-core GPU, with dynamic caching. The M4 Pro chip also supports up to 64GB of unified memory, with 273GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple says this metric doubles the bandwidth of other AI PC chips, making for “accelerated AI workloads.” To that end, Apple says the chip will “deliver blazing performance for Apple Intelligence.” It remains to be seen if and when the M4 Pro will show up in other products, like laptops. The M3 Pro began appearing in last year’s MacBook Pro laptops, so there’s a strong chance that could also happen this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-introduces-the-m4-pro-chip-which-finally-brings-thunderbolt-5-support-150549096.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 You can likely trace the start of the small computer trend back to the original Mac mini, which debuted in 2005 with a simple pitch: What if desktop, but tiny? Now Apple aims to take that concept even further with its latest Mac mini, a five-inch by five-inch box measuring a mere two inches tall, that can tackle some serious workloads. And while we expected it to include Apple's M4 chip, it can also be configured with an even more powerful M4 Pro model, which is also being announced today. Take that hardware together with a standard 16GB of RAM , and you've got a pretty compelling Mac mini starting at $599 . Why, exactly, did Apple shrink down the Mac mini? It's not as if the previous case, which has been around for years, was very large . When I reviewed the the M2 Mac mini early last year, I was still impressed by how slim and sleek it looked, especially compared to small form factor Windows systems. But by trimming down its footprint , Apple can once again portray the Mac mini as an object of desire. You may not need it, but one look at its diminutive frame, and you might start finding reasons to give it a loving home. Apple Apple claims the M4 chip makes the new Mac mini up to 1.8 times faster than the M1 version, and up to 2.2 times faster when it comes to graphics. While the M4 chip tops out at 10 cores, the M4 Pro reaches up to 14 cores . It also features a 20 core GPU, double the amount in the base M4 chip. M4 Pro delivers Thunderbolt 5 connectivity for the first time on a Mac, which offers up to three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3, as well as up to 64GB of RAM. There's also 273 GBps of memory bandwidth, which should be a huge help for AI processing. Given that Apple Intelligence officially launched this week with the release of iOS 18.1, it's also a major selling point for the new Mac mini. The M4 chip sports 38 TOPS of AI processing power, while the M3 topped out at 18 TOPS. While Apple hasn't said this directly, I'd bet AI is also a major reason why the Mac Mini now starts with 16GB of RAM. Apple Intelligence requires at least 8GB of RAM to function, but the company has admitted that may not be enough to run Xcode 16's AI features. As always, having more RAM is better for future proofing, especially when you can't add more memory down the line. Apple has also finally given us a few front ports on the Mac mini, instead of the clean facade of the last few models. There are two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm jack up front, which will make it far easier to plug in jump drives and headphones. On the back, you'll find another three USB-C ports , HDMI, and Ethernet. While it would be nice to see an integrated SD card reader, Apple currently reserves that for the more expensive Mac Studio. Apple You can preorder the new M4 Mac mini today starting at $599 , and it'll be available in stores on November 9th. The M4 Pro model, meanwhile, starts at $1,399 . That price difference may seem high, but it's the same as it was for the M2 models. And as we saw from our M2 Mac mini review, it certainly held its own against other pricey desktops. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-redesigned-mac-mini-is-a-tiny-beast-with-m4-and-m4-pro-chips-150016484.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 The biggest audio announcement at Apple’s iPhone event last month wasn’t the AirPods 4. Instead, the milestone news was the company’s plan to introduce a robust suite of hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2 alongside iOS 18. Apple’s three-prong approach includes prevention, awareness and assistance with hearing protection, hearing test and hearing aid tools available directly on an iPhone. People have been eagerly anticipating these hearing health features since Apple announced them in early September. I’ve had numerous friends and family members who aren’t regular Apple users inquire about the hearing test and hearing aid features specifically. The tools have the potential to put a wealth of information, and possibly life-changing assistance, in the pockets of people all over the world. Users will get help for a stigmatized condition without even having to set foot in a doctor’s office. Just days after the big announcement in September, the FDA approved Apple’s hearing test and hearing aid features. Under the guidelines set forth in its 2022 decision, the FDA allows adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss to obtain hearing assistive devices without a prescription or professional consultation. Apple describes its software-based test as “clinically validated,” one that was developed with 150,000 real-world audiograms and millions of simulations, and the FDA clearly agrees. Apple has released the entire suite of hearing health tools this week with iOS 18.1 and a firmware update to AirPods Pro 2. I’ve spent a week with them, and I can definitively say that this upgrade will be a game changer for earbuds, but not in the way that you’d expect. Hearing protection Billy Steele for Engadget Even if you don’t take Apple’s hearing test, and even if you don’t have hearing loss, the hearing protection feature on AirPods Pro 2 provides a significant benefit. It helps maintain your current level of hearing health with robust protection in certain loud environments. You could absolutely use it without ever taking the hearing test. Although Apple discussed the potential of AirPods Pro as ear protection from loud noise at launch , the company never officially recommended the earbuds for extended use for that purpose. That’s because AirPods Pro weren’t certified as meeting certain safety standards. What’s more, Apple improved the algorithms that reduce the effect of loud noise while maintaining the sound signature with this new firmware update. I’ve used the AirPods Pro 2 at concerts since their release, employing Transparency mode to cleanly reduce sound to a safer level with minimal sacrifice to overall audio quality. In an age when ear plugs with various filters are a thing, AirPods Pro 2 now officially offer a high-fidelity concert experience that won’t kill the vibe of the show by muffling the band. Since you’re more likely to always have them when you leave the house, you won’t have to remember to grab that pair of Loops or SoundProtex Plus plugs before the show. What’s more, Apple says you can use hearing protection on AirPods Pro 2 for things like subway commutes, lawn-mowing and sporting events. There are certain sounds that Hearing Protection isn’t recommended for – mostly extremely loud impulse noises like gunfire, fireworks or jackhammers. Apple also explains that the feature shouldn’t be used for sustained sound that’s louder than 110 dBA . On the other end of the spectrum, the company says the AirPods Pro 2 can provide up to 10 dB of passive noise reduction when they aren’t even turned on. Apple Hearing Protection can be applied across transparency, Adaptive and noise-canceling modes on the AirPods Pro 2. As you can see in the chart above, the latter two provide the best protection, lowering environmental noise by up to 30 dB. Those two modes also extend the exposure time limit. As a reminder, Adaptive Audio on the AirPods Pro 2 lets you select the blend of active noise cancellation and Transparency mode that best matches your surroundings. In my tests with the new hearing protection tools, transparency mode still offers the clearest sound here, but for certain genres, like chaotic heavy metal, ANC mode actually provided more details in the live guitars. I can’t tell a difference in Apple’s revised algorithms in transparency mode for concerts versus when I used the AirPods Pro 2 at a show last month, but it already sounded great before. I used the Noise app on Apple Watch to confirm the venue sound was at 100 dB, with transparency mode reducing my exposure to 86 dB and noise-canceling mode taking it down to a safer 74 dB – all of which is in line with Apple’s stated ratings. As a reminder, the effectiveness of hearing protection relies on how well the AirPods Pro 2 fit in your ears. You’ll want to make sure that you have a good seal with properly sized ear tips, which can be validated via the fit test in the AirPods settings. Hearing test Billy Steele for Engadget Apple’s hearing aid tool is likely to get the most attention, but I’d argue it’s the hearing test that’s the most important piece. I don’t know about you, but I can’t recall the last time I had a hearing test with an audiologist. It has been at least a decade, and most likely longer than that. It’s not something adults think about unless they notice potential hearing loss or someone else picks up on the cues. Since 1.5 billion people globally experience some degree of hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization, Apple’s tool will provide more awareness of the condition in a quick, easy and private way. According to the company, the hearing test should take about five minutes. During my sessions, it took around seven minutes, which means the software may have repeated some tones I missed along the way. Once iOS 18.1 is installed and your AirPods Pro 2 have been updated, you’ll see the hearing test in the AirPods settings and in Apple Health. You’ll need to confirm that you’re 18 or older, that you aren’t experiencing any allergy or cold symptoms and that you haven’t been in a loud environment in the last 24 hours in order to proceed. Before the test begins, the iPhone/earbuds duo will check your surroundings to make sure you’re in a quiet space and to ensure that the AirPods Pro fit properly in your ears. When the test begins, Do Not Disturb and ANC will be enabled and you’ll simply tap the screen when you hear tones. The software will test your left ear first before moving over to the right. The test is as easy to complete as Apple describes, and as promised, you immediately get your results when it’s finished. I’ll admit that I was concerned about what I might discover about my hearing health since I didn’t always wear ear plugs at loud concerts in college and I was in a band long before in-ear monitors were widely available. Thankfully, Apple’s hearing test determined that I have little to no hearing loss, with numbers well under the 25 dBHL threshold. The test showed slightly more hearing loss in my left ear than my right, but still nothing to be concerned about. Even though I showed little to no hearing loss, the test still offers tips on healthy habits and clearly states that the current AirPods Pro tuning is correct based on the results. Here’s how the classifications shake out: Little to No Loss: Up to 25 dBHL Mild Loss: 26 - 40 dBHL Moderate Loss: 41 - 60 dBHL Severe Loss: 61 - 80 dBHL Profound Loss Above: 80 dBHL No matter how much hearing loss the test detects, you’ll still get a detailed graph in Apple Health that shows how you fared with each frequency. Here, I was able to see that I do have some issues hearing high-frequency sounds, but not enough to indicate mild hearing loss. What’s more, Apple Health displays a list of test results, so you can quickly see how your hearing changes over time . And when you need them, PDFs of individual tests are available for export. I had some anxiety the first time I took the test. That probably had more to do with the fact that it had been so long since I’d done anything like this, and since I’m in my 40s, I’m now hyper-aware of ailments that could be coming my way. I also spend a lot of time testing earbuds, headphones and speakers, plus I’m a big fan of live music. So, my lifestyle could’ve easily led to different results. Hearing aid Apple If the hearing test determines that you have mild to moderate hearing loss, the AirPods Pro 2 can now function as a clinical-grade hearing aid. You can also upload an audiogram to Apple Health if you have one from an audiologist. But in either cases, hearing aid will only be available to people who are 18 or older and you can’t turn it on without the required test results. If Apple’s test shows severe or profound hearing loss, AirPods Pro 2 won’t provide sufficient amplification and the software will offer guidance on how to proceed with a professional consultation. Once you have the appropriate results, the hearing aid mode will be available under Hearing Assistance in the Hearing Health section of the AirPods Pro settings. Apple explains that it can take time to acclimate to the hearing aid feature, and while this should only take a few days, it could also require a few weeks. The company is clear that consistent use is paramount to the adjustment period. What’s more, once the hearing aid is set up on AirPods Pro 2, that hearing profile is embedded on the earbuds and you’ll be able to use it without having your iPhone nearby. However, Apple says you shouldn’t share the earbuds with anyone once hearing aid is enabled due to the personalized frequency adjustments. Crucially, the hearing aid feature is customizable as Apple allows adjustments for amplification, tone and balance so that you can fine-tune the assistance based on your needs. These settings are accessible at any time on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, either from the AirPods menu or from Control Center. With an Apple Watch, you’ll have the ability to adjust Amplification, and the volume slider on the AirPods Pro 2’s stems will also control amplification when hearing aid mode is active. There’s also a Media Assist tool that will augment the sound of music, calls and video based on your hearing test results. Plus, the existing Conversation Boost feature on the AirPods Pro 2 will still be available. Hearing aid will only be active when Noise Control is set to transparency mode. If you turn it off, or switch to Adaptive or noise cancellation, the assistive feature will still be enabled but it won’t be active. Hearing protection and hearing aid can be used simultaneously in transparency mode, where the former is turned on by default. You can turn hearing aid mode off entirely in the Hearing Assistance section at any time. Lastly, Apple says you can expect the hearing aid feature to run for up to six hours on a charge. A quick five-minute top-up will give you an hour of use and the AirPods Pro 2 will fill up completely in 60 minutes. Since this isn’t enough to get you through a full day, the company recommends that you put the earbuds in their case when showering, sleeping or completing tasks where hearing assistance isn’t needed. AirPods all the time Depending on your personal preferences, you may have strong feelings about people who wear earbuds all day long. You may think it's rude to speak to someone when you have earbuds in your ears, or you might feel awkward trying to have a conversation with someone who’s wearing them. Transparency mode has existed for a while now, and not just on AirPods, so there’s a good chance those folks have been listening to you and not trying to drown you out with Chappell Roan. Now that AirPods Pro 2 can double as hearing aids, we’ll all have to get used to seeing people wearing them all the time. And we’ll also have to get used to people wearing them at concerts, which I’ll admit still seems weird – and I’ve done it. I think I’ve only ever seen two other people using AirPods Pro for concert hearing protection, but that number is sure to increase dramatically over the coming months. From now on, people may not be rude or want to put off a “don’t bother me” vibe, they could be protecting their hearing or using AirPods Pro to help them hear better. If someone doesn’t want to wear a clinical-looking hearing aid due to the stigma around them, they may be more likely to wear earbuds that offer the same benefit – especially if they already own a pair.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apples-airpods-pro-hearing-health-tools-could-normalize-wearing-earbuds-everywhere-140054858.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 The US presidential election is in its final stretch. Before election day on November 5, Engadget is looking at where the candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, stand on the most consequential tech issues of our day. The Biden administration has been more aggressive than almost any in recent American history in its antitrust efforts. In the tech sector alone, it has ongoing cases against Apple, Meta, Google and Amazon, not to mention its battles with Ticketmaster, Microsoft, Kroger, CVS, Visa, Penguin Random House and more. Biden, Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter have spent the last several years working to prevent giant mergers, increase competition and punish companies for unfair business practices. It is unlikely that whoever succeeds Joe Biden will be quite as fervent in their fight against monopolies. That being said, it’s not only possible but probable that either a Harris or Trump administration would be very active in the antitrust field. Kamala Harris There is some expectation that a Kamala Harris White House will pursue these sorts of cases less aggressively. Part of that assumption is simply down to the fact that Harris hasn’t said a ton on the issue. She touts her record as attorney general of California in leading lawsuits against the medical industry, and says during her stump speeches that “companies need to play by the rules, respect the rights of workers and unions and abide by fair competition. And if they don’t, I will hold them accountable.” But she often doesn’t get more specific than that. Her campaign also released a detailed economic policy document, though it makes little mention of antitrust and antimonopoly proposals. When it does discuss those issues, it focuses exclusively on landlords, grocery stores and the pharmaceutical industry. It does advocate for the passage of the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, though. This bill would make it illegal for landlords to use software from companies like RealPage and Yardi to coordinate on housing prices and rent increases. However, Harris’ ties to Silicon Valley has led some to believe she would pump the brakes on antitrust efforts focused on the tech industry. Her brother-in-law, Tony West, is chief legal officer for Uber, her debate adviser was Karen Dunn, the lawyer currently heading up Google’s defense in an ongoing antitrust case, and she counts Laurene Powell Jobs among her closest friends. She’s also been quiet in the face of calls from major donors like Reid Hoffman and Barry Diller to fire Lina Khan. Nonetheless, she has also surrounded herself with many people deeply engaged in the Biden administration’s antitrust efforts, including Brian Deese, the former head of the National Economic Council ; Rachel Brown, who led on competition policy at the NEC and Bharat Ramamurti, who was not only Deese’s deputy at the NEC but also worked for Elizabeth Warren, who has made fighting big business a cornerstone of her political identity. It’s unlikely these antitrust crusaders would join Harris’ campaign if they did not believe she would continue the work of the Biden administration in some meaningful capacity. Donald Trump Unlike what you’d expect from a typical Republican administration, the Trump White House was actually pretty active in the antitrust space, focusing primarily on the tech and healthcare industries. Trump has made no secret of his animosity towards some of the biggest players in the tech space, so there’s little reason to believe he’d scale back or abandon the cases against Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon underway. During his first tenure, the Trump administration went after Google over its search results and Facebook following its purchase of WhatsApp and Instagram in antimonopoly cases. He also sought to block the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T. Even after he left the White House, Trump continued his assault on big tech by filing personal lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook and Google, alleging censorship. According to Concurrences , while Republican administrations tend to prioritize criminal cartel cases, the Trump DOJ pursued fewer of those than any administration since Nixon and focused more on mergers and antimonopoly cases. While Trump hasn’t said much about his antitrust views on the campaign trail, his running mate, JD Vance, has made it a regular topic of his stump speeches. Vance has voiced strong support for breaking up big corporations, especially in the tech industry. He’s even praised Lina Khan as “one of the few people in the Biden administration I think is doing a pretty good job.” Complicating this, however, under Trump, the DOJ and FTC were constantly mired in controversy, and he was routinely accused of using the agencies to punish his perceived enemies. To make things even murkier, there is no mention of antitrust or antimonopoly efforts or policies either on Trump’s Agenda 47 site or the official RNC platform. This makes it difficult to predict what to expect from a second Trump term. While there was significant antitrust activity on his watch, at times it seemed guided by political whims and personal vendettas. And without a guiding principle outlined in any official policy document, it’s impossible to know what avenues the DOJ and FTC might focus on to go after companies that find themselves the target of Trump’s ire. While Donald Trump and the RNC don’t spill too many words discussing antitrust issues, the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 document does. It notes there is still some disagreement among Republicans on how aggressively to pursue antitrust action. But it focuses extensively on the changing view within the party that seeks more aggressive actions to break up the largest players in the market. While Project 2025 pays some lip service to the negative impact on consumers of having too much industry power concentrated in too few hands, it spends most of its time discussing ESG and DEI initiatives by businesses as a non-economic reason to pursue antitrust efforts, suggesting the Heritage Foundation sees antimonopoly laws not as a way to prevent the concentration of economic power, but as a cudgel to punish those promoting social and political ideologies it dislikes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/election-2024-how-will-the-candidates-regulate-big-tech-133013600.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 Getting a really great tablet for an affordable price is quite an achievement. That's why we're excited to see that Amazon's Fire Max 11 tablet is currently on sale for $140, down from $230 — a 39 percent discount. The deal brings this 64GB tablet back to its all-time low price, previously seen during October Prime Day. Amazon released the Fire Max 11 tablet in 2023 and we were immediately impressed with how much it offered for the price . It has slimmer bezels and a nice aluminum build, along with being just over a pound. Its 11-inch screen has a 2,000 x 1,200 resolution and is low blue light certified. Plus, it has a fingerprint sensor in the power button and supports Wi-Fi 6. It's worth noting that this model comes with lockscreen ads. If that's a deal breaker then check out the sale on the 64GB version that is ad-free. Right now, it's 36 percent off, dropping to $155, from $245. You can even upgrade to the 128GB model without lockscreen ads for just $5, with a 43 percent discount dropping its price to $160 from $280. 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/deals/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-returns-to-a-record-low-price-131516001.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 It’s easy to give into cynicism writing about tech. There are so many underwhelming announcements and iterative improvements. Companies toss the letters AI around like it’s a magic elixir sent down from the Gods. The layoffs are harsh. Sometimes, though, you find something simple, useful and fun that forces optimism. That’s where I’m at with the Vizio MicMe. It’s a soundbar that doubles as a karaoke machine. That’s a neat idea, right? The MicMe is being advertised as a “two-in-one soundbar system” that totally eliminates the need for a clunky standalone karaoke speaker. It’s a legitimate 2.1 soundbar, complete with a subwoofer. It’ll get the job done with regard to endless streams of Agatha All Along or Nobody Wants This. Vizio It also ships with two dynamic wireless microphones, and that’s where the karaoke magic comes in. The company says that the soundbar enters karaoke mode when one of the microphones is removed from the charging dock, without the user having to fiddle with anything. There is, however, an affiliated mobile app for making sound adjustments. This app also allows access to six different vocal effects. Each microphone boasts eight hours of battery life per charge, which means a solid 8PM to 4AM karaoke session. Vizio says MicMe will have access to 80,000 songs via the proprietary app. It also integrates with many standalone karaoke apps, like Stingray. There should be no shortage of songs to ruin or master. The soundbar hybrid is compatible with Vizio’s QuickFit technology, which allows it to attach to the company’s TVs without any tools. It’s also fully compatible with any smart TV with eARC. The MicMe costs $350. You can order one now but it won’t ship until the end of November. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/vizio-just-announced-a-soundbar-that-doubles-as-a-karaoke-machine-130016592.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 Amazon, in what it described as a "difficult decision," is winding down Kindle Vella and shutting it down completely in February 2025. When the company launched the serialized story platform in 2021, it said Vella was a way for readers to discover new fictional stories and a new way for authors to earn from the Kindle Direct Publishing service. But it hasn't caught on as it had hoped, Amazon explains on its website, and it has decided to throw in the towel three years after Vella's debut. Authors can only publish stories on Vella until December 4, which is also the last day readers can purchase tokens. While readers will no longer be able to purchase tokens after that, they can continue using those tokens to unlock episodes until the program closes in February. The good news for those who've been following specific authors or stories on Vella is that they won't lose their access to whatever episodes they've already unlocked even after the platform shuts down. They can always read the stories they've purchased in their library in the Kindle app for iOS and Android, though they can no longer open them on the web. Any token they don't use by February will be refunded. Responses to Vella have been pretty lukewarm since it became available. Some authors liked the fact that they could use it to earn money from unfinished stories, while some readers said they'd prefer getting a whole book instead of paying for installments. Personally, as someone who follows a lot of indie authors, I only know of one who publishes on Vella and very, very few readers who actually use it. Amazon tried drumming up interest earlier this year by making the first ten episodes of a story, instead of just three, available to readers for free. The company has also tried keeping authors on the platform by giving away bonuses, but its strategies probably didn't work enough to make it consider keeping Vella around longer. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/amazon-is-shutting-down-its-kindle-vella-serialized-story-platform-in-february-2025-120030125.html?src=rss

29.10.2024 16:12 Apple Intelligence, the company’s all-encompassing branding for its AI tools, features and curios, is finally here. Did you think Apple launched this ages ago? It was announced in June, and drip fed to beta testers, first in the developer preview, then the open preview. It was even a big part of the iPhone 16 sales pitch at launch, but Apple’s newest phones lacked those AI features — until now. Arriving as part of Apple’s updates to iOS, iPadOS and macOS, it’s not everything teased at WWDC , but it’s a tract of new features showing how the company is tackling AI in its software. As well as new proofreading and rewriting tools, there’s live transcription for phone calls and Notes’ audio recordings. Apple Intelligence also adds text summaries for websites, emails and all those transcriptions. There’s also my personal favorite: notification summaries. We’ll be taking a closer look at what Apple Intelligence is capable of, but broadly , the additions won’t change your smartphone life. Some of them are very useful, while others, like photo editing, fall behind rivals like Google and Samsung. — Mat Smith The biggest tech stories you missed Grok can try to explain Elon Musk’s terrible jokes You’ll get another chance to pre-order the retro-themed PS5 today The best iPhone accessories Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The iMac gets an M4 refresh for faster Apple Intelligence It has the same design as the last two models. Apple In time for those new features, Apple’s new iMac includes new colorways and the latest Apple silicon. The new model has the same display and design as previous models, but there’s a new nano-texture glass screen option for a proper splurge. Apple says the M4 inside the new iMac makes the computer 1.7 times faster for daily productivity and up to 2.1 faster for more demanding tasks than the M1-powered iteration. The M4 iMac will be available on November 8, starting at the same $1,299 as its predecessor. Continue reading. Netflix’s latest feature makes it easier to share and rewatch your favorite scenes Moments is a lot like clips on YouTube. Netflix is rolling out a new feature called Moments, which lets you save, share and rewatch certain scenes from shows and movies. For now, it’s mobile only, starting on Netflix’s iOS app and coming to Android in the next few weeks. Netflix says episodes and films will start playing from bookmarked scenes when you rewatch them, with an array of share buttons for messaging and social media apps. It’s perfectly timed for my recent binging of Kath and Kim. All four series, done. Continue reading. Google starts selling refurbished Pixel phones It's only Pixel 6 and 7 handsets for now. Google is selling refurbished Pixel 6, Pixel 6A and Pixel 7 handsets directly through the Google Store. Discounts are up to 40 percent compared to new models, but we are on Pixel 9 now, so there are no brand new Pixel 6s on sale, at least not from Google. Prices start at $339 for the Pixel 6. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111641713.html?src=rss