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09.12.2024 18:52 With Christmas approaching, the Google Pixel Tablet is currently 30 percent off — at least the 128GB version. It’s currently $279, the lowest price it’s ever been since its release. The Google Pixel Tablet has an 11-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, making it suitable for streaming content. The tablet is compatible with the Charging Speaker Dock . If you need a little more convincing, we named it one of our best Android tablets for 2024. If 128GB of onboard memory isn’t enough for you, the Google Pixel Tablet also comes in a 256GB version, which is 28 percent off at $359. Every other specification is identical to the standard 128GB model, but having double the memory means you can download more pictures, apps and YouTube videos for offline watching. As with Google’s Pixel smartphones, the Pixel Tablet works with Gemini, the tech giant’s AI chatbot. For those who use tablets as their primary work device, the Google Pixel Tablet supports Split Screen. This feature lets you open two apps side-by-side and use them simultaneously. It’s great for multitasking. 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/google-pixel-tablets-are-up-to-30-percent-off-152043181.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52 The holiday season is upon us and, while that means lots of merriment and fun, it also brings the inevitable stress of picking gifts for all your loved ones. We have list after list of some of the best gifts to get your mom, runners, book lovers, gamers and others, but sometimes the greatest presents come from following the sales. That brings us to Amazon's current deal on the Elgato Stream Deck Neo. The device is down to an all-time low price of $80, from $100 — a 20 percent discount. The Stream Deck Neo is Elgato's smaller take on one of our favorite game streaming items for 2024: the Stream Deck +. They both have eight customizable keys to make commands easy while streaming. The small but mightly Stream Deck Neo is also built for gaming and making your daily to-do list easier to accomplish with easy shortcuts. The Elgato Stream Deck Neo has a small display with the time, date and day of the week, making it have a bit of an alarm clock feel. It can integrate with apps like Zoom, PowerPoint, Spotify and more. Plus, you can connect it to your Mac or PC with a USB-C plug. Overall, this is a great gift for anyone in your life interested in streaming or just wanting to access their every day tasks with ease. 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/elgatos-stream-deck-neo-is-cheaper-than-ever-144531655.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52 Raspberry Pi has just released its new computer-in-a-keyboard, the Raspberry Pi 500, the successor to the Raspberry Pi 400. It shares most of the same internal components as the Raspberry Pi 5, but with a keyboard shell and improved heatsink — all for $90. The Pi 500 is equipped with a 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU and comes with 8GB of RAM. It has three USB A ports but no USB-C slots besides the charger, which doesn’t support peripherals like mice and docks. Both WiFi and Ethernet are supported natively, along with Bluetooth 5.0. The package also includes a 32GB microSD card preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS, a Linux distribution based on Debian. Currently, the Pi 500 only has US and UK keyboards, but variants in other languages like Spanish and Japanese are on the way, TechCrunch notes. Depending on the language, the keyboard can have 78 to 83 keys. The Raspberry Pi 500, by itself or as a desktop kit, is now available through approved resellers. The $120 desktop kit contains the Pi 500 computer, a mouse, a USB-C power supply, an HDMI cable and a beginner’s guide. Monitors aren’t included in the package, though today Raspberry Pi also introduced its new Raspberry Pi Monitor for $100.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/the-raspberry-pi-500-is-a-90-computer-in-a-keyboard-142900379.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52 Earlier this year Reddit cracked down on AI companies and some major search engines, saying that companies would not be allowed to scrape its site unless they struck licensing deals with the company. Now, the “front page of the internet” is introducing its own AI-powered search feature. Called “Reddit Answers,” the feature provides summaries of conversations and posts from across the site in a “conversational interface.” Relying on content from all public, SFW subreddits, the goal is for Reddit to be able to directly provide relevant results for queries that people may otherwise find via Google searches, where it’s become increasingly common to append “Reddit” to queries. While that sounds a lot like a Reddit-based search engine, VP of product Serkan Piantino says that Reddit Answers isn’t necessarily trying to come up with a singular answer the way you might expect with a Google search. Instead, the tools surfaced a handful of bullet points pulled directly from relevant threads on Reddit. Those conversations are linked directly in the interface, as are relevant subreddits where users can dive deeper into similar topics. “A big theme is that it does sort of guide you towards the content itself, instead of trying to represent an answer on its own,” Piantino tells Engadget. Reddit Reddit gave me early access to the feature and the current version looks a bit like Meta’s AI search suggestions in Instagram, with a few dozen suggested queries and accompanying emoji. The responses, however, are detailed and link directly to highly-upvoted comments from various subreddits where Redditors have previously weighed in on similar topics. That’s helpful because some of the results may not make sense without the broader context from the thread . I also noticed that many of Reddit’s built-in suggestions centered around product questions, like “best robot vacuum” or “best vitamin C serum.” While that’s not necessarily surprising — many people already turn to Reddit forums for buying advice — it also raises questions about whether the company could potentially monetize the new search feature. “It's something that we've thought about at a high level, but we have no immediate plans for monetization,” Piantino said when I asked him about it. For now, he said, the feature is still in beta and will be rolling out slowly. As of today, Reddit Answers is making its way to a “limited number” of users in the US on web and iOS, with a broader rollout expected sometime next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-introduces-ai-powered-reddit-answers-search-feature-140028655.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52 I plan on spending the next three months tucked away watching movies, reading books and playing games while I try to stay as warm as possible. Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have passed, but there are a few good deals still lingering on the internet — and this one seems like it will help me in the pursuit of my gaming goals. Woot currently has a three-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $29, down from $50. The deal comes courtesy of a 32 percent discount and an additional $5 off at checkout with the code GAMEPASS. The Xbox Game Pass is one of our favorite Xbox accessories and comes as a digital code. The Xbox Game Pass is a good deal with or without a sale . It gives you access to hundreds of Xbox and PC games. You can play games the day they come out and play online multiplayer through your PC, Xbox or the cloud. The sale is on for another five days or until Woot runs out of stock. 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/a-three-month-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-membership-is-on-sale-for-only-29-right-now-143059079.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52  Apple TV+ has unveiled the intense official trailer for season 2 of Severance, picking up where the first one left off while adding new characters . As you may recall, Severance is centered around a group of people who undertook a brain procedure to entirely separate their work and home selves. Our four main characters eventually carry out an escape plan by finding a way to blur the lines between the two sets of memories. In the season finale, three of them make some world-shattering discoveries about their outie lives. In the new trailer, our four heroes Mark , Dylan , Helly , and Irving are reluctantly back at work and seemingly not in trouble for their actions in the cliffhanger final season one episode that streamed back in 2022. "Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe," Apple says in the description. The trailer teases potential answers to vexing questions, like what exactly it is that Lumon does. Bizarre incidents in the corporation's basement "will be remembered as one of the greatest moments on this planet," says an unknown corporate character. The teaser also introduces some new mysteries, including a child that's somehow going to be an office manager . Other new cast members include Alia Shawkat , Merrit Weaver and Bob Balaban . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/watch-the-full-severance-season-2-official-trailer-133028801.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52 So, you just bought yourself an NVMe drive to add more storage to your PlayStation 5. Don’t worry. If you’re unsure of how to install the SSD, you have come to the right place. Not only is the process relatively simple, but this guide will take you through every step, including all the tools you need. If you came here looking for a recommendation on what NVMe to buy for your PS5 or PS5 Pro, check out our dedicated guide to the best SSDs for the PS5. How to install a PS5 SSD 1. Power everything down to remove the stand Before attempting to add more storage via an NVMe, ensure that you have Sony’s latest software installed. Once you're up-to-date, installation of a PS5 SSD is fairly straightforward. Sony recommends a #1 Phillips or crosshead screwdriver, but this isn't rocket science. Any crossed screwdriver of a similar size will do fine. If you don’t own a screwdriver, the DIY heroes from iFixit sell a great set for $20. Begin by powering down your PS5 or PS5 Pro, unplugging everything, removing the stand and flipping it over to its underside. If you have a launch PS5, that’s the side with the disc drive; if you have a launch Digital Edition, it’s the side without the PlayStation logo cutout. As for the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro, the expansion slot is in the same place: behind the smaller of the two panels. Sony has a video guide to popping off the outside cover here, but the gist is you gently lift up the opposing corners and slide the panel toward the flat end of the console. There’s a knack to this, and it requires very little effort or strength. If you’re not getting it, rather than force things, readjust your grip and try again. Engadget 2. Access the drive bay Once you’ve got everything open, you’ll see a rectangular piece of metal with a screw holding it in place. Remove that screw, and you’ll be able to access the drive bay. You’ll see five holes inside, each number corresponding to standard SSD drive lengths. The one numbered 110 will have a metal insert and screw inside. You need to remove the screw with a screwdriver, and then unscrew the insert with your fingers and move it to the relevant hole. For most drives, it’s going to be 80. Engadget 3. Slot in the SSD Then take your SSD and slot it in. The slot is at the edge closest to the number “30,” and SSDs are keyed to only fit in one way, so no force is required. If it’s not sliding in, don’t force it. You’ll notice the SSD doesn’t sit flat. That’s fine and is as intended. Engadget 4. Screw the drive bay back in Once the SSD is seated, take the screw you removed from the insert, line it up with the little notch at the end of your SSD, and push down so it meets the insert. Give the screw a few turns — it doesn’t need to be very tight — and you’re done. Replace the metal cover and screw it down, and then slide the plastic outer shell back on. When you first turn on the PS5, it’ll prompt you to format the drive. Do that! You have now successfully expanded your console’s storage, and can go about downloading and moving games to it. Engadget This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/how-to-install-a-ps5-ssd-130010846.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 18:52 There are moments with AI that feel like we're passing a threshold there's no coming back from. The latest example is happening at UCLA, where a professor is having AI create the textbook, assignments and teaching assistant resources for her class, Survey of Literature: Middle Ages to 17th Century. Professor Zrinka Stahuljak is using an AI tool called Kudu, created by UCLA professor of physics and astronomy Alexander Kusenko and a former doctoral student Warren Essey. They bill Kudu as a "high-quality, low-cost" way for students to access all the information they need, while professors focus on teaching. Kudu pulls from PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, course notes and other materials Professor Stahuljak provides it. According to UCLA, it shouldn't take up more than 20 hours of a professor's time and they can edit the materials afterward. The resulting textbook is available digitally for $25 and can be printed or used with audio readers. Kudu also uses the provided materials to respond to anonymous queries from students. Plus, it can identify whether over half of a student's content is AI-generated. "Normally, I would spend lectures contextualizing the material and using visuals to demonstrate the content. But now all of that is in the textbook we generated, and I can actually work with students to read the primary sources and walk them through what it means to analyze and think critically," said Stahuljak in a statement. "It allows us to spend more time teaching basic analytical skills, critical thinking and reading skills, in a consistent manner — the things professors are best at doing." She plans to use Kudu for other courses in the future. The AI-powered tool is already being tested this semester in an introduction to history class and will be available for Stahuljak's course in 2025. We'll have to see how successful this will be and, critically, if AI will remain a tool for teachers or be a "low-cost" way to replace them. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ais-next-job-making-assignments-for-college-courses-130008019.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 13:30 A new image generator called Aurora briefly opened for testing for some Grok users, and the tool’s results shared on X appeared far more realistic than X’s previous image generators. It was a brief debut, though. By Sunday afternoon, Aurora was gone. For a short time, there was a Grok 2 + Aurora option in Grok’s model selection menu, which is now replaced by Grok 2 + Flux . It looks like Aurora may have gone public before it was meant to. Grok’s previous image generator was called out for lacking certain restrictions on the content it can produce, like offensive images of politicians and celebrities. TechCrunch was able to generate an image of “a bloodied Trump” — the kind of thing AI image generators are restricted from creating. In that brief period, paying Grok users leaped at the chance to put Adam Sandler and Ray Romano in photos together, or Captain Picard in a Christmas hat. Sure. Why not? — Mat Smith Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest tech stories you missed What to read: Family dysfunction at the end of the world, and the woman who challenged Victorian medicine X helped senators update the Kids Online Safety Act so it can’t be ‘used to stifle expression’ Engadget Wrapped: The music we listened to the most in 2024 TikTok inches closer to a US ban after judges shoot down appeal Google sues after Consumer Financial Protection Bureau orders supervision of its payment arm It’s due to complaints over the discontinued Google Pay. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it has ordered federal supervision of Google Payment Corp. after determining that it meets the legal requirements for such oversight. The CFPB monitors banks, credit unions and other financial institutions and recently finalized a rule to supervise digital payment apps. The CFPB said it has “reasonable cause to determine that Google has engaged in conduct that poses risks to consumers.” Google filed a lawsuit shortly after the announcement to challenge the decision. The risks identified by the CFPB are tied to Google’s handling of erroneous transactions and fraud prevention. Continue reading. Fortnite is getting a 5v5 first-person shooter mode The new Ballistic mode will be available in early access this week. Fortnite A new game mode called Ballistic is coming to Fortnite in early access on December 11, bringing a 5v5 tactical first-person shooter experience. One team will be tasked with planting an explosive device — which detonates 45 seconds after it’s placed — and the other team will try to stop that happening. There will be one map to start and a limited selection of weapons and items. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-x-adds-then-quickly-removes-groks-new-photorealistic-image-generator-121552710.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 04:01 I’ve been finding myself consistently impressed by the experiences developers have managed to cram into the Playdate. It’s not that I expected little of the handheld and its potential offerings when I first impulsively pre-ordered it way back when, but I guess I didn’t really know what to expect beyond the crank-focused games Panic first teased ahead of its release, which seemed geared toward short bursts of play. Over the past few months, I've played lots of those and thoroughly enjoyed them, but I’ve also spent hours solving puzzles and exploring intricate maps in games with a surprising amount of substance. Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll, which recently came to the Playdate Catalog, may be one of the best yet. Created by developer bumbleborn, Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll is a metroidvania, but don’t let that scare you off if combat isn’t your thing; it’s non-violent, putting the emphasis instead on tricky platforming, puzzles and finding your way around sprawling caverns. The map feels huge for a Playdate game — there over 250 rooms spread between its four levels, according to the developer. In Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll, a sickness known as the Blight threatened to wipe out all life, forcing the inhabitants of three kingdoms to escape underground. Humans live on the bottom-most level, in a kingdom called Bottomrock. As the child protagonist of the game, you’re on a mission to deliver a scroll to The Archives, requiring you journey through the somewhat perilous Kingdoms Three. It’s a world that holds a lot of secrets, and you’ll have to interact with certain elements of the environment in unexpected ways in order to move forward or access seemingly inaccessible items. But there’s a kind of haunting sereneness to it all, even with its challenging moments. The music sets just the right atmosphere, and visually, Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll is stunning. The artwork is so crisp down to the tiniest details, and I just love the style of it all. Larger characters especially — like the frog prince whose belly you can bounce on — really come to life. Between the music, the art, the lore and just the overall vibes, Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll completely drew me in. If there’s one Playdate game you should pick up right now, it’s this.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/echo-the-oracles-scroll-is-a-must-play-combatless-metroidvania-for-playdate-022534825.html?src=rss

09.12.2024 04:01 As spotted by a Reddit user this weekend, Panic is now selling a macaroni yellow charging brick to go with the yellow cable that comes with the distinctively yellow Playdate. Say yellow again. The good news for anyone who wants a complete set of matching accessories is that it’s only $5 — the bad news is that shipping costs almost double that at its cheapest, so it’s kind of hard to justify buying on its own. Also note that the 10W power adapter has a USB-A connection so it’ll work with your existing Playdate charging cable, but it’s otherwise kind of behind the times considering the general shift toward the USB-C connection. At the moment, Panic is only selling a version that’s compatible with the 2-prong plug type that’s standard in North America and Japan. It goes without saying that absolutely no one needs this — our Playdates have been charging just fine without it so far — but if you’re already on the site getting a pizza case now that they’re back in stock, then sure, go wild. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/you-can-now-get-a-yellow-charging-brick-for-5-to-match-your-playdates-cable-220316721.html?src=rss

08.12.2024 22:41 Apple is being sued by victims of child sexual abuse over its failure to follow through with plans to scan iCloud for child sexual abuse materials , The New York Times reports. In 2021, Apple announced it was working on a tool to detect CSAM that would flag images showing such abuse and notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. But the company was hit with immediate backlash over the privacy implications of the technology, and ultimately abandoned the plan. The lawsuit, which was filed on Saturday in Northern California, is seeking damages upwards of $1.2 billion dollars for a potential group of 2,680 victims, according to NYT. It claims that, after Apple showed off its planned child safety tools, the company “failed to implement those designs or take any measures to detect and limit” CSAM on its devices, leading to the victims’ harm as the images continued to circulate. Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment. In a statement to The New York Times about the lawsuit, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said, “Child sexual abuse material is abhorrent and we are committed to fighting the ways predators put children at risk. We are urgently and actively innovating to combat these crimes without compromising the security and privacy of all our users.” The lawsuit comes just a few months after Apple was accused of underreporting CSAM by the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children .This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-sued-for-failing-to-implement-tools-that-would-detect-csam-in-icloud-202940984.html?src=rss

08.12.2024 22:41 On Saturday, a new image generator called Aurora became available for some Grok users, many of whom shared the tool’s results on X touting their photorealism. But as of Sunday afternoon, Aurora appears to be gone. While it briefly showed up as an option in Grok’s model selection menu as “Grok 2 + Aurora ,” it’s since been replaced with “Grok 2 + Flux .” It looks like Aurora may have gone public before it was meant to. In a tweet replying to one user who shared images of Tesla’s Cybertruck created with Aurora, Elon Musk said, “This is our internal image generation system. Still in beta, but it will improve fast.” Behold my images using the new Grok @grok image generator Aurora:

08.12.2024 18:10 Apple and Sony have quietly been working on bringing PlayStation VR2 controller support to the Apple Vision Pro, Mark Gurman reports in the Power On newsletter. Gaming isn’t exactly the Vision Pro’s strong suit, thanks in part to the fact that it doesn’t support typical VR controllers. But Apple has reportedly approached Sony in hopes to remedy that. According to Gurman, the two partnered up earlier this year, and Sony has been working on the project for months. Apple and Sony planned to have support for PS VR2’s Sense controllers ready by now, but the launch has been delayed as they iron out a few issues, Gurman notes — like the fact that Sony doesn’t produce and sell the controllers separately from its headset at the moment. Barring a scenario in which the project is “abruptly scrapped,” though, Gurman reports that we should still expect to see it happen. The ability to use Sony’s controllers with the Vision Pro headset would bring benefits beyond its gaming potential too, allowing for more precise input for tasks like media editing than is currently possible with its eye and gesture-based controls. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/apple-vision-pro-could-soon-work-with-playstation-vr2-controllers-161547953.html?src=rss

08.12.2024 03:21 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday said it has ordered federal supervision of Google Payment Corp. after determining that it meets the legal requirements for such oversight. The CFPB monitors banks, credit unions and other financial institutions, and recently finalized a rule to supervise digital payment apps. In the order, which focuses on the Google Pay app and its peer-to-peer payment service , the CFPB said it has “reasonable cause to determine that Google has engaged in conduct that poses risks to consumers.” Google filed a lawsuit shortly after the announcement to challenge the decision, Reuters reports. The risks identified by the CFPB are tied to Google’s handling of erroneous transactions and fraud prevention. Based on customer complaints, the order said it appears that Google didn’t adequately investigate erroneous transfers, or adequately explain the findings of its investigations into these issues. The complaints also indicate Google didn’t do enough to prevent fraud, the order says. But, the CFPB announcement notes that the order “does not constitute a finding that the entity has engaged in wrongdoing,” nor does it “require the CFPB to conduct a supervisory examination.” In a statement to TechCrunch, a Google spokesperson said, “This is a clear case of government overreach involving Google Pay peer-to-peer payments, which never raised risks and is no longer provided in the U.S., and we are challenging it in court.” The CFPB's order acknowledges that Google Pay was discontinued but says this is “not a basis to refrain from designating Google for supervision,” though it could affect whether it decides to conduct an examination.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-sues-after-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-orders-supervision-of-its-payment-arm-000829576.html?src=rss