Engadget

---

• 'Apex Legends' season 13 will bring big changes to the Ranked system
• Panasonic GH6 review: A vlogging workhorse, with some caveats
• Meta will open its first physical store May 9th
• ‘Diablo: Immortal’ is coming to mobile and (surprise!) PC on June 2nd
• Gadgets that make great Mother's Day gifts
• Chevrolet is making an all-electric Corvette
• Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro falls to a new all-time low of $2,249
• Amazon knocks 10 percent off Nintendo's $50 eShop gift card
• Hawaiian Airlines will be the first major air carrier to offer Starlink internet
• GM’s Ultium heat pump can extend EV ranges up to 10 percent
• Samsung's Galaxy S22 phones drop to new record lows at Amazon
• Amazon's latest Echo Dot falls to a new all-time low of $28
• The Morning After: Another gadget prototype left behind at a restaurant
• Elon Musk isn't done with the idea of building a hyperloop
• The Wachowskis are auctioning iconic film props to support trans youth
• Fade, Valorant’s latest agent, is a shadowy recon specialist
• Apple may have begun a new push to remove outdated software from the App Store
• Twitter is reportedly re-examining Elon Musk’s $43 billion takeover bid
• Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign is now scheduled to arrive in August
• Someone left a prototype Google Pixel Watch at a restaurant
• Hitting the Books: When the military-industrial complex came to Silicon Valley

'Apex Legends' season 13 will bring big changes to the Ranked system Posted: 25 Apr 2022 09:05 AM PDT Respawn is set to once again shake up Apex Legends next month when the battle royale's 13th season, called Saviors, gets underway. For one thing, there are major changes on the way to the competitive Ranked system. The studio says the new approach will reward teamwork and skill, as you'll "rise and fall through the ranks together." A new season means there'll be another playable legend to get to grips with. The next character to join the ranks is called Newcastle. His abilities haven't been fully revealed, but he does have a shield. No word as yet as to whether he's a member of the Toon Army, though he seems to be Bangalore's brother. Elsewhere, players can expect the Storm Point map to look significantly different after a security protocol is triggered by a monster from the deep. As yet, there doesn't seem to be a major new game mode this time around. Respawn added a big team mode called Control in February, at the start of the current season. More details about map updates, Newcastle, the overhauled Ranked system and the new battle pass will be revealed in the coming days. Apex Legends: Saviors starts on May 10th.

Panasonic GH6 review: A vlogging workhorse, with some caveats Posted: 25 Apr 2022 08:30 AM PDT Panasonic launched the GH5 over five years ago, helping set off a mini vlogging boom and confirming the potential of mirrorless cameras for video. Its replacement has finally come in the form of the $2,200 GH6 with an all-new sensor and desirable features like ProRes, 5.7K 60p video and an all-new stabilization system. Panasonic had the video creator market largely to itself in 2018, but things are different now. It's crowded with models from Canon, Sony and Nikon, all offering similar features to the GH6 for a similar price. Some of those, like Sony's A7 IV and the Canon EOS R6, have full-frame sensors and superior phase-detect autofocus systems. Panasonic has its own full-frame lineup too, so it's effectively competing with its own Lumix S5 model. Is there still a place for a video-centric Micro Four Thirds camera with contrast-detect autofocus? I took a final production version of the GH6 out in the French countryside to find out. Body and handling Apart from the similar control layout, the GH6 doesn't look much like the GH5 anymore. The first substantial change is the hump on the back. It accommodates both a multi-angle articulating display and an active cooling system with a fan and vents for continuous video shooting at high video resolutions. It's got a new grip too, which is perhaps the largest I've ever seen on any camera, mirrorless or otherwise. It uses a tackier rubber material and has a bigger ridge for your fingers, giving a secure grasp on the camera at all times. All the buttons and dials are in roughly the same spots, save a few exceptions. The most noticeable change is the addition of a switch on the top left corner that lets you lock out any controls you want. The other is a dedicated autofocus button for changing AF areas, models, eye detection and more. Another big change is the addition of a second video record button on the front, ideally placed for vloggers. There's also a nice dedicated audio control button that lets you quickly access levels, quality and more without diving into menus. Finally, there's a second button up front that can be set to do whatever you want. Steve Dent/Engadget The GH6 uses the new style of Panasonic menu found on the GH5 II and S5. It's among the easiest to use of any mirrorless camera, with logical categories and not too much scrolling needed. Plus, it can be operated by touch or using the buttons and dials. As mentioned, the GH6 has a fully articulating 1.84-million dot rear touchscreen, as you'd expect, but it borrowed a feature from the full-frame S1H as well: It tilts up by about 45 degrees, letting you keep it clear of the microphone and HDMI ports for vlogging or external capture. The 3.68 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder is as sharp as rivals, but the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. Since the GH6 is primarily designed for video that's not too big a deal, as higher EVF frequencies mostly help action photographers. With the introduction of ProRes and ProRes HQ, internal data rates can hit up to 1.9Gbps (237.5 MB/s). To that end, the GH6 now has a high-speed CFexpress slot, along with a UHS II slot. The drawback of having one very fast card and one very slow card is that you can't backup ProRes (or 800Mbps All-I H.264 video) to the SD card. That could be a problem for videographers that absolutely require a backup when shooting video for weddings and other live events. Steve Dent/Engadget As for ports, it has a full-sized HDMI port as you'd hope on such a camera, along with a USB-C port that supports power delivery so you can charge or power the camera while shooting. Naturally, it has headphone and microphone jacks, and you can upgrade that to four-channel XLR inputs using Panasonic's $400 DMW-XLR1 hotshoe adapter. Overall, the GH6 is a well designed and great-handling camera, particularly for video. Key settings like audio levels, video resolution and autofocus are easy to change and monitor. There are a few drawbacks, though. It's heavy for a Micro Four Thirds camera at 823g, and the battery life isn't great either. It's rated for just 350 still images on a charge, compared to 400 on the GH5 with the same settings, and about an hour of continuous 4K shooting. On one of our shoots, however, it didn't manage more than about 45 minutes of stop-start shooting, so you'll want to buy and carry a lot of extra cells. Video Just like the GH5, the GH6 is a video creator's camera above all. For that, it's better than its predecessor in nearly every way, from resolution to stabilization to dynamic range. The GH6 can shoot 5.7K all the way up to 60 fps, DCI 4K up to 120 fps and 1080p at 240 fps. As with other Panasonic cameras, it supports anamorphic shooting up to 5.7K. That lets you use lenses from Vazen, Sirui and others and get those dramatic JJ Abrams horizontal lens flares. 10-bit video with billions of colors is available for most of these formats, with an Intraframe I mode for easier editing and LongGop L mode, (both with H.264 and H.265 codecs), to conserve space. Steve Dent/Engadget It also supports 12-bit ProRes and ProRes HQ, formats that gobble card space but are easier to edit than MP4. You can only shoot 5.7K 25p ProRes video for now, but ProRes DCI 4K and full HD are coming later via a firmware update. RAW output at up to C4K (4,096 x 2,160) 120p to an external Atomos Ninja V+ recorder will also be introduced down the road. The 5.7K ProRes footage allows for crisp downsampled 4K footage or cropping where needed, while delivering the best possible quality with minimal compression and 12 bits of color. It'll also play in real time on a decent editing computer, but you'll need lots of storage space – the file sizes are massive. Meanwhile, 4K at 120 fps is a big plus for dramatic slow-mo. Unlike with rivals, there's no cropping or drop in sharpness at those higher frame rates, and 10-bit video is available. The only downside to 120p is that a feature called Dynamic Range Boost isn't supported. So what is that? Rather than Dual Native ISO like the GH5, the GH6 has Dynamic Range Boost. It combines high and low-gain readouts to deliver extra dynamic range at ISO settings over 800. With the feature turned off, dynamic range is a bit below the GH5 and when enabled, it's a full stop higher. The GH6 is also Panasonic's first non-professional camera with full V-Log, not hobbled V-Log L. With all that, video quality is outstanding, particularly in demanding, contrasty scenes. It's sharp, colors are right on point and the extra stop of dynamic range over the GH5 gives editors more room to dial down bright scenes and amp up shadows in post-production. Considering the small sensor, the GH6 is a surprisingly decent low-light camera, too. Noise is well controlled up to ISO 12800, with the best results at ISO 6400. That's aided by Panasonic's new "3D Noise Reduction" that kicks in at higher ISOs to suppress grain with a slight loss of detail. The downside with the system is that, weirdly, there's more noise in shadows at low ISOs. That's because the Dynamic Range Boost can't be engaged below ISO 800, so there's more noise in dark areas of the picture. The GH6 has much improved in-body stabilization (IBS) over its predecessor. Panasonic boosted that to 7.5 stops with supported lenses, just below Canon's R6. However, numbers only tell part of the story. It's not only great for handheld video, but is the best camera for walkaround vlogging I've ever tried. Without even trying to smooth out my footsteps, I only saw a mild up and down motion with none of the jerking I've seen on other cameras. If you do hit the odd jolt or whip the camera around, you won't see much wobble or jello, either. That's because even though it doesn't have a stacked sensor, rolling shutter is well controlled – a big benefit of a smaller sensor. Shooters have been screaming for a histogram display and Panasonic has finally added one. It's the best way to set exposure, especially for log video, and you can resize and position it anywhere in the frame. Steve Dent/Engadget The GH6's biggest issue is still contrast detect autofocus, or what Panasonic calls Depth from Defocus. It is improved over the GH5, with new AI smarts to boost tracking and subject recognition for people and animals. However, it still isn't as fast or accurate as the phase detect systems on rival cameras. By its nature, contrast detect can't lock into focus as fast as phase detect. In certain circumstances, Panasonic's system also has a tendency to "hunt" for focus, causing a distracting pulsing as the video goes in and out of focus. As a workaround, you can shoot at higher frame rates, as contrast detect AF functions better when it has more frames to analyze. However, that's not always convenient, particularly if you want maximum control over shutter speeds and motion blur. Because of this, I don't always trust it for interviews, standup or other situations. Overall, Panasonic has done as much as it can do with contrast detect, but it's just a fundamentally inferior system. Thankfully, the company is starting to hint that phase detect might arrive in future models. Photography Now, let's talk about photography. With relatively slow 7 fps burst speeds with continuous autofocus, the GH6 is not a great choice for action or wildlife shooting. If you're into that and want Micro Four Thirds, get the Olympus OM-1 instead. There are improvements that make it good for certain things, though, particularly the 25.2-megapixel sensor. That's the highest resolution yet on a Micro Four Thirds camera, so it's more useful than the GH5 for things a hybrid shooter might do like product photography or portraits. Like video, photos have improved dynamic range, sharpness and high-ISO capability. The Dynamic Range Boost is particularly useful for RAW photos in tricky lighting situations, letting you pull detail out of shadows and highlights. Finally, the contrast-detect AF isn't as big of a drawback for photos as it is for video, particularly for a relatively slow camera like the GH6. It usually delivers sharp photos for burst shooting with human or animal subjects, though it's still not as reliable as recent competing cameras. Overall, it's an improvement over the GH5, but still well short of models like the Sony A7 IV. Wrap-up Steve Dent/Engadget Panasonic's GH6 is a lot of camera for the money, offering an outstanding feature set for vloggers and creators that rivals many professional video cameras. The stabilization system and handling are first-rate, video quality is outstanding and it's more affordable than rival full-frame cameras with similar capabilities. Micro Four Thirds lenses are also much cheaper than full-frame lenses. As usual, the bugbear with the GH6 is the contrast-detect autofocus that's not up to par with Sony, Nikon and Canon's latest offerings. It's also heavy for a Micro Four Thirds camera and battery life is subpar. Finally, the Micro Four Thirds sensor might not cut it if you need shallow depth of field and superior low-light capability. It has some stiff competition like the Sony A7 IV and Canon EOS R6, both priced at $2,500. For a lot less, look at Fujifilm's $1,700 X-T4 or the $960 Nikon Z FC. And if you want a Micro Four Thirds action or wildlife camera, get the $2,200 OM-1. If you're good with the AF and sensor size limitations, however, the GH6 is a top choice for vlogging and content creation.

Meta will open its first physical store May 9th Posted: 25 Apr 2022 08:00 AM PDT Meta will open its first physical retail store next month, in a sign of the increasing importance of its hardware business as the company pivots to the metaverse. The "Meta Store" opens May 9th in Burlingame, California, close to the headquarters for Meta's Reality Labs division. The store will showcase the company's VR headsets, Ray-Ban Stories glasses and Portal devices; and will offer interactive demos for shoppers. For Meta, physical retail stores are meant to help the company not just sell more hardware, but expose more people to its VR and AR technology. In-store virtual reality demos will play on a massive "wall-to-wall" LED display that broadcasts content from participants' headsets. Mark Zuckerberg teased the display in a recent post on his Facebook page. In a post Monday, Zuckerberg said the new store would help people "get a sense of what's coming as we build towards the metaverse." In addition to its existing products, Meta is also working on augmented reality glasses, a high-end VR headset and possibly a smartwatch. Meta Though the initial store will be somewhat modest — about 1,500 square feet near a company office — Meta's retail footprint could eventually be much bigger. The New York Timesreported last fall that the company was considering opening stores all over the world. However a significant expansion of its physical stores would likely depend on Meta selling a lot more devices than it currently is. The company's metaverse division lost $10 billion in 2021.

‘Diablo: Immortal’ is coming to mobile and (surprise!) PC on June 2nd Posted: 25 Apr 2022 07:35 AM PDT All the way back at BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard revealed Diablo: Immortal, which would fill in the gaps of the story between Diablo II and Diablo III. However, the fact it was announced as a mobile-only game didn't exactly go over well with the publisher's hardcore fans (to put it mildly). Fast forward nearly three and a half years and not only does the game have a release date, but Blizzard announced it'll be available on PC after all. Diablo: Immortal will arrive on PC, iOS and Android in most parts of the world on June 2nd. Folks in some Asia-Pacific regions will need to wait a few extra weeks. It's a free-to-play title with some optional in-game purchases. The PC version will initially be in open beta, but will have all content and features. All progress and purchases will carry over too. It will feature cross-play and cross-save support for all platforms, so you should be able to switch between PC and your mobile device with ease. The MMORPG allows players to take on challenges with eight-person parties and it has a faction-based PvP system. In a blog post, Blizzard says it was of two minds about creating a PC version, which it calls "an experiment." Ultimately, because a large section of fans would likely try to play it through an emulator anyway, the development team decided to create a dedicated PC build. Unusually for a Diablo game (which are usually point-and-click titles), Diablo: Immortal will have the option of directional keyboard controls. The mobile control system allows for simultaneous movement and attacks, which Blizzard says wouldn't be possible solely through mouse control alone. There's also controller support on PC. Diablo: Immortal was originally supposed to be released last year. However, Blizzard delayed it to 2022 to add some extra polish, including, evidently, on a PC port. Word of the Diablo: Immortal release date comes at a particularly busy time for Blizzard. Last week, it announced the next semi-annual expansion for World of Warcraft, while the first closed PvP beta test for Overwatch 2 starts tomorrow. Parent company Activision Blizzard announced this morning that its Q1 revenue was down 22 percent from the previous year. The company, which is facing lawsuits and accusations alleging harassment and misconduct, is the subject of a pending takeover by Microsoft.

Gadgets that make great Mother's Day gifts Posted: 25 Apr 2022 07:30 AM PDT Your mom might not be as up to date as you on the latest tech trends, but that doesn't mean a carefully chosen gadget wouldn't make her life easier. While flowers and breakfast in bed remain lovely Mother's Day gifts, you may want to try a different tack this year and get your mom something she'll use long after the holiday is over. To help, we've collected a list of some of our favorite gadgets and services that any mother, tech-savvy or not, will love. Apple iPad mini Valentina Palladino / Engadget We consider the iPad mini to be the best small tablet for most people, and that includes parents who could use a slightly larger screen to watch videos, read text messages and check out photos of their children (or grandchildren) on Facebook. The 2021 model with the A15 Bionic chip runs smoothly even when using more than one app in Split View, so mom can stream her favorite show on Netflix while quickly replying to messages without any issues. We appreciate the design updates Apple made to this model, making the mini look more like a smaller iPad Air than ever before. Its compact size makes it easy to throw in a bag and take with you, and it'll last the whole day, too, thanks to its 12-hour battery. Not to mention, its new Center Stage front-facing cameras will keep Mom in the frame as she FaceTimes for the third time today. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor Buy iPad mini at Amazon - $499 Belkin UV Sanitizer + Wireless Charger Belkin Your mom might have become a clean freak over the past year (who can blame her?) and Belkin's UV sanitizer and wireless charger is a good device to give her to keep right near her doorway. It uses UV rays to get rid of 99 percent of bacteria on keys, cards, rings and other small items that your mom might bring with her wherever she goes. Yes, that also includes her smartphone and once it's completely sanitized, your mom can set the handset on top of the lid to power up thanks to its built-in 10W wireless charging pad. The device is silent while sanitizing and as a bonus, it comes with its own cable and wall adapter so you can use it straight out of the box. — V.P. Buy UV Sanitizer + Wireless charger at Belkin - $80 Ember Mug 2 Take your mother's morning coffee routine up a notch with the Ember Mug, a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature for up to 1.5 hours or all day if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. It has a temperature range between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which lets your mom dial in just how hot she wants her brew. There's also a companion app which lets her save preset temps for her favorite drinks, track her caffeine intake, customize the color of the LED light on the front of the mug and more. The latest version comes in a pretty rose gold color as well as white, black, gold, silver and copper. — Nicole Lee, Commerce Writer Buy Ember Mug 2 at Amazon - $130 Fitbit Inspire 2 Fitbit After the past few years, your mom is likely excited to get out of the house more often – especially as the weather improves – and maybe she wants to take more regular walks and runs in her neighborhood. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a low-cost and easy-to-use way to track her steps and sleep, along with other stats that indicate our overall fitness level. New users can also snag a free year of Fitbit Premium to add even more fitness guides and meditation features to the already-great app. — Kris Naudus, Commerce Writer Buy Inspire 2 at Amazon - $100 Instant Pot Duo Instant Pot For busy moms who love to cook but are short on time, an Instant Pot makes for a thoughtful gift. While it can be used as a slow cooker, rice cooker or yogurt maker, it's particularly useful as a pressure cooker. It can shave hours off the cooking time of a lot of dishes, particularly braises and stews. Also, unlike its stovetop equivalent, the Instant Pot can come to pressure and stay there without having to be babysat the whole time. A built-in timer means it turns off on its own, while a Keep Warm function does exactly what you'd expect. Thanks to the popularity of the Instant Pot line, there's also a vast array of recipes online that your mom will be able to make with her new cooking gadget. For more on how to make the most of it, check out our Instant Pot guide. — N.L. Buy Instant Pot Duo at Amazon - $90 Apple Watch SE Cherlynn Low / Engadget The Apple Watch is arguably the most sought-after accessory for iPhone users, and the Apple Watch SE is a good starter option for moms who want a more convenient way to stay in the loop. It has all of the essential features you'd expect a smartwatch to have, including smart alerts, activity and workout tracking, built-in GPS and Apple Pay. The SE's Retina display is 30 percent larger than that of the Series 3 and, in addition to a water-resistant design, it has features like fall detection, high and low heart rate notifications and Emergency SOS. While the SE doesn't have ECG capabilities or blood oxygen tracking like the Series 7 does, it remains a good gift for mom that will let her keep in touch with those she loves without whipping out her iPhone every second. — V.P. Buy Apple Watch SE at Amazon - $279 Mpix photo book Mpix So many of us take hundreds of photos with our phones and then never do anything with them. They're left to languish in our camera rolls, only to be uncovered when you have to scroll back months to find that one image you're searching for. If you want to give mom a more polished way to look back at her favorite photos, an album from Mpix will do the trick. You can customize your photo book from the ground up, choosing the best images of her family and friends and laying them out on each page in a neat way. You can also pick from different types of cover options and paper weights, making the final product as premium as you want it to be. With options starting at $20 per book, it's pretty easy to make mom a gift she'll want to revisit long after Mother's Day is over. – V.P. Shop Mpix photo books Anker PowerCore 10,000 Redux Anker While it sounds like an impersonal gift, a power bank can really help your mom if her smartphone dies while she's out. Anker's PowerCore Redux is an improvement on the typical lipstick-sized portable batteries thanks to its slightly larger frame that houses a 10,000mAh cell. That capacity can power up an iPhone XS more than two times over, plus it can charge two devices simultaneously thanks to its USB-A and USB-C output ports. The LED light wheel will show mom how much battery power is left in the accessory and she'll be able to throw it into any bag she owns thanks to its compact, 6.8-ounce design. – V.P. Buy Anker PowerCore Redux at Amazon - $42 Beats Studio Buds Billy Steele/Engadget Your mom probably spends her day juggling a lot of responsibilities. A good pair of earbuds can make her busy days more enjoyable by letting her listen to her favorite playlists, podcasts or audiobooks while she's getting it all done. The Beats Studio Buds are small, comfortable and stylish, plus they now work better with Android than ever before. Since Apple owns Beats, iPhone users get perks like hands-free Siri access, quick-pairing and Find My support, but now Android users also have access to the latter two features as well. That means your mom can make the most of these earbuds regardless of the smartphone she has. Plus, she'll be able to take calls without picking up her handset by using the buds' five built-in microphones. – V.P. Buy Beats Studio Buds at Amazon - $150 iRobot Roomba 694 Valentina Palladino / Engadget While a robot vacuum won't eliminate all the cleaning your mom might already do around the house, it definitely makes one portion of it easier. The Roomba 694 is one of our favorite budget robot vacuums in part because it provides a ton of value for its $274 price. Most importantly, it does a great job cleaning both hard and carpeted floors and it runs long enough that it should get to most areas in your home before needing to recharge. It connects to WiFi so you can control it either with its companion mobile app, or using Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands. Your mom can even use the mobile app to set a cleaning schedule, so she doesn't even have to think about the machine — it'll scurry around the house, sucking up dirt and debris, all on its own time. — V.P. Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon - $274 Breville Smart Oven Air Breville If your mom is a cook and has the counter space for it, we highly recommend getting her a toaster oven like the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. She can use it to toast bread, bake dishes or reheat food. Sure, a full-size oven can do the same thing, but firing it up can often warm up the whole house, which isn't so great in the summer months. It's also a lot more efficient. While a regular oven might need 20 or so minutes to preheat, a toaster oven can often get to temperature in just five or 10 minutes. We also like this model for its 1-cubic-foot capacity. (In lay terms, it can fit a 9-by-13-inch casserole or a 14-pound turkey.) It can handle air frying (thanks to a "super convection" mode) and it comes with an air fryer basket that's large enough to fit a dozen chicken wings. The oven also has several preset modes designed for specific functions such as toasting bagels or baking pizzas. The Smart Oven Air is the classic model, but if your mom is extra adventurous in the kitchen (or extra tech-savvy), Breville's latest tabletop appliance, the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro, is a good step up. It does everything the Smart Oven Air does, but it adds WiFi connectivity so you can control the machine from your phone. Mom will get alerts when it's time to put her dish in the oven after the preheat cycle, and when her food finished cooking to perfection. There are even recipes she can try out in the app, including some that have an "autopilot" feature, which automatically adjusts the oven's temperature during cooking to make things like perfectly golden croissants and bread loaves. — N.L. Buy Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro at Amazon - $350Buy Joule Oven air Fryer Pro at Breville - $500 LEGO Bouquet LEGO Flowers die. Sure, they're pretty and they smell nice but in the end they wilt, which is always kind of a bummer. So why not get your mom something just as beautiful that will stay that way? This LEGO bouquet is lovely to behold but also a great way to spend an evening putting together. As a bonus, it's cheaper than a lot of flower arrangements you'd buy around Mother's Day, and if she ever tires of it she can take it apart and build something else with the 756 pieces. — K.N. Buy LEGO Bouquet at Amazon - $76 Audible gift membership Audible If your mom loves reading but doesn't have a ton of time to sit down and crack open a book, an Audible membership can give her a new way to enjoy reading anywhere. Gift memberships range from one month for $8 to one year for $230 and include a certain number of book credits that she can use on any title. Members also get access to exclusive sales and Audible has been experimenting with original content like podcasts recently, so there's a ton of listening options to choose from. But the best part is being able to read anywhere at any time, be it in the car on the way to work, around the house while tidying up or at the beach on a lazy summer day. — V.P. Buy Audible membership starting at $8/month Nintendo Switch Lite Engagdet Women play games too, even if a lot of games marketing still says otherwise. In a house dominated by behemoths like the PlayStation 5 or a gigantic gaming PC, mom might appreciate having something that's just for her, a handheld console she can sneak away with into the bedroom or yard whenever she needs some alone time. The Switch Lite is small enough to hide in a pocket or purse and, while there are plenty of great games she'd enjoy like Breath of the Wild, Untitled Goose Game and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we recommend snagging an eShop card so she can choose her own adventures. — K.N. Buy Switch Lite at Amazon - $200 Winc Wine Club membership Fattyplace via Getty Images Forget giving your mother a bottle of wine she might not even like. Instead, give her a subscription to a wine club. There are many available today, including hyper-curated boxes, all-natural boxes and even celebrity-branded ones like Martha Stewart's club. If you'd rather take the guesswork out of choosing one, Winc is a good option. All mom has to do is fill out a short six-question survey about her tastes and then Winc chooses the wines for her. She can then rate the wines she receives, so Winc will get a better idea of what she wants, offering up more personalized selections the next time around. Winc is also great for you, the gifter, since gift subscriptions start at only $60. — N.L. Shop Winc Wine Club

Chevrolet is making an all-electric Corvette Posted: 25 Apr 2022 07:23 AM PDT One of Chevy's most iconic cars will get the EV treatment. GM has confirmed that it's developing a "fully electric" Corvette, and an "electrified" (read: hybrid) version will be available as soon as 2023. The automaker didn't provide more details, and even the video attached to the teaser (below) doesn't offer any clues. Still, it's a big move — the Vette is synonymous with gas-powered American sports cars, and now it will be a poster child for electrification. BREAKING: An electrified #Corvette will be available as early as next year and a fully electric version to follow. Stay tuned for more. pic.twitter.com/6lDUWpOIZ2 — Chevrolet (@chevrolet) April 25, 2022 A Corvette EV isn't entirely surprising, mind you. GM plans to exclusively sell EVs by 2035, and the Vette was only going to survive that transition with an electric powerplant. Moreover, GM's electrification strategy has so far revolved around higher-priced halo vehicles like the Hummer EV. An electric version of Chevy's sports coupe may draw ire from combustion engine purists, but it could also attract customers who were otherwise uninterested in EVs or were considering rivals like the Porsche Taycan or even Ford's Mustang Mach-E GT. As it stands, GM's electrification efforts are now extending into virtually every segment. It's courting well-heeled pickup drivers with the upcoming Silverado EV, serving luxury buyers with the Cadillac Lyriq and addressing the mainstream with its future Blazer and Equinox models. In that light, it was just a matter of time before Chevy's signature vehicle ditched conventional engines.

Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro falls to a new all-time low of $2,249 Posted: 25 Apr 2022 06:55 AM PDT Apple's latest 16-inch MacBook Pro is now more affordable than it's ever been. Amazon is selling the 10-core M1 Pro variant with 512GB of storage at an all-time low price of $2,249, or $250 below the official sticker. That's $50 below the previous best, and makes this a more viable option if you've wanted a large, powerful Mac laptop but couldn't justify the usual cost. Buy 16-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon - $2,249 The 16-inch MacBook Pro represents a return to form for Apple. It's speedy while delivering long battery life, low noise and — much to the relief of many — a healthy range of ports. Throw in the high-quality display, a superb keyboard and surprisingly rich speakers and it's an easy pick if you want a large-screen portable that can replace many desktops. It's not for everyone. This larger MacBook Pro is still expensive, and it's best-suited to creative apps and general productivity — you wouldn't buy one for gaming, for instance. There's no way to expand the memory or storage, either, so you'll need to be content with the included 16GB of RAM and 512GB of space for the life of the system. If those aren't obstacles, though, you'll likely be happy. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Amazon knocks 10 percent off Nintendo's $50 eShop gift card Posted: 25 Apr 2022 06:25 AM PDT If there's a Switch title you've had your eye on for a while, or you're looking to stock up on a few games, you can do so for slightly less by picking up an eShop gift card at Amazon right now. The online retailer knocked 10 percent off Nintendo's $50 eShop gift card, so you can get it for $45. You'll then have a total of $50 to spend at Nintendo's online store, where you can get the latest games like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga or buy a few titles that are already on sale. Buy $50 Nintendo eShop gift card at Amazon - $45 There are plenty of new and popular titles that are unlikely to see discounts soon, so you could use your gift card to get one of those. Those include Kirby and the Forgotten Land, MLB The Show 22 and Rune Factory 5, all of which are $60 each, or you could use your gift card toward pre-orders for titles like Nintendo Switch Sports, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or Splatoon 3. If you'd rather use your funds to get as many new games as possible, it's worth checking on the sales and deals page on Nintendo's eShop. The offers change regularly, but you can usually find some indie titles, expansion packs and others at a discount. Currently, you can snag the puzzle adventure game Carto for only $10, or half off its normal price, plus a number of Doom and Jackbox games for less. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Hawaiian Airlines will be the first major air carrier to offer Starlink internet Posted: 25 Apr 2022 06:10 AM PDT Your next flight to Hawaii might come with speedy in-flight internet access. CNBCreports Hawaiian Airlines has signed a deal to offer SpaceX's Starlink service aboard all its Transpacific flights. Fly aboard an Airbus A321neo, Airbus 330 or Boeing 787-9 and you'll have free, relatively low-latency WiFi that should be quick enough to stream media and play online games. Hawaiian will start deploying Starlink broadband with "select" aircraft in 2023. There aren't any plans to add satellite access to the Boeing 717 airliners that provide short-hop flights between Hawaii's islands. The agreement makes Hawaiian the first major airline to use Starlink. SpaceX signed its first airline deal earlier this month with charter carrier JSX, which operates shorter, smaller-capacity flights. Delta has conducted Starlink tests, but it's not clear if or when the company might adopt the technology. The Hawaiian Airlines arrangement won't necessarily guarantee more in-flight business for SpaceX. Some major airlines already offer satellite internet service to passengers, and might not be in a rush to replace equipment that sometimes took years to install. The new deal gives SpaceX a significant foothold, however, and it won't be surprising if more airlines try Starlink before long.

GM’s Ultium heat pump can extend EV ranges up to 10 percent Posted: 25 Apr 2022 06:00 AM PDT Keeping an EV's batteries within their optimum operating temperature range is essential to getting the highest performance and longest life cycles possible from them. Too hot and charge seeps from the cells, too cold and the vehicle's range can drop up to 20 percent with charging sessions taking significantly longer than they would in warmer climes. This is why heat pumps, devices that scavenge waste heat from a vehicle's engine components to provide power other systems, have been finding their ways into a number of electric autos in recent years. Tesla has added them to its Model Y, 3, and S Plaid; Polestar includes them with the PS2 single-motor, and Rivian, well, Rivian does it a little different, but on Monday, GM announced its latest entry into waste heat reclamation game with the debut of its "Ultium Energy Recovery" system. The UER is "based around an advanced automotive grade heat pump that captures and repurposes otherwise wasted energy," Tim Grewe, GM director of electrification strategy, said during a press call last week. "It's more sophisticated than even the most advanced thermal heat pump that you would find in modern homes." "We could do several things with this energy," he continued, "including increase the range of our EVs, power low-level electrical functions like heating, and even pre-conditioning of our battery for faster charging and acceleration." For an EV like the new Hummer, the estimated ten percent increase in range that this system provides translates into an extra 30 miles of range. Similarly, this heat pump is what drives the Hummer's Watts to Freedom launch control function, autonomously conditioning the battery temperatures to the optimal level with which to dump as much current they can, as fast as they can, in order to propel the 9,000-pound EV SUV from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds flat. "It's one of those situations where you want to get the magnets in the motor as cold as you can to give you ultimate torque going forward," GM energy recovery system project manager, Lawrence Zeer, said on the call. "And then you want to warm up the battery because the battery is give you a little more power when they're warmed up." Zeer also points out that given the immense size of these batteries — the Hummer's is rumored to weigh more than 2,900 pounds — "it's got a lot of heat capacity to it." Conversely, the pump will also automatically precondition the batteries if the driver selects an upcoming charging station from the nav computer and can cool the cabin as easily as it warms it.  GM plans to include the recovery system across its electric vehicle lineup including the Hummer EV, the Lyric, and the upcoming Blazer EV. And since the recovery system is already standard throughout GM's EV offerings, folks who've pre-ordered their Lyric and Hummers won't have to turn around and head back to the dealership for a service installation.

Samsung's Galaxy S22 phones drop to new record lows at Amazon Posted: 25 Apr 2022 05:54 AM PDT Samsung's latest Galaxy S22 handsets are some of the best Android phones you can get right now, and Amazon has discounted the entire lineup. Each of the three S22 models is cheaper than usual, with the best savings being on the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the S22+ — both are $200 off, bringing them down to $1,000 and $800, respectively. The standard Galaxy S22 is $100 off and back down to an all-time low of $700. And if you decide to take the plunge, you can get $60 off the Galaxy Buds 2 if you buy the earbuds along with one of the S22 smartphones. Just click on the "extra savings" banner on the phones' product pages to see how to add both items to your cart. Buy Galaxy S22 Ultra at Amazon - $1,000Buy Galaxy S22+ at Amazon - $800Buy Galaxy S22 at Amazon - $700 The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best of the best coming from Samsung right now, and it marries a lot of features from the company's Note family with its flagship S lineup. It sports a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen that has a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750 nits. It also has the new "Vision Booster" feature, which automatically adjusts display brightness and contrast depending on how bright or dim your environment is. The phone runs on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processors, and the model on sale has 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. With the phone being so large, it has space for a built-in S Pen, which lets you take notes and doodle on the phone's screen. This is the main feature taken from the Note family, and power users will appreciate it. Samsung also improved the latency to 2.8 milliseconds, so writing with the S Pen will feel even more natural than it did before. As far as cameras go, you're getting a 108-megapixel main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide shooter and two 10MP telephoto lenses, plus a host of improvements like auto-framing, better video stabilization, more accurate portrait blur and Samsung's new Adaptive Pixel feature. That's all to say you're getting a very capable camera setup that holds its own against those on the latest iPhones and Google smartphones. Ultimately, the S22 Ultra is the handset to get if you want all of the latest features that Samsung has to offer in a smartphone. But if you're ok with a slightly smaller device and one that doesn't have perks like a built-in S Pen, either the S22 or S22+ will serve you well. We gave both smartphones a score of 87 for their lovely displays, strong performance and slick design. The S22+ has the added benefits of UWB and WiFi 6E connectivity, slightly faster WiFi speeds and a longer battery life. Considering this sale makes the S22+ only $100 more than the S22, it's a good opportunity to get a slightly more capable device without paying too much of a premium for it. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Amazon's latest Echo Dot falls to a new all-time low of $28 Posted: 25 Apr 2022 04:34 AM PDT If you've been eyeing an Alexa-powered fourth-generation Echo Dot smart speaker, now is the time to buy. Several models are on sale, including the basic model that's selling for just $28 or 44 percent off, the lowest price we've seen to date. The Echo Dot + Amazon Smart Plug, Echo Kids and Echo with Clock model are also carrying steep discounts near their all-time low prices.  Buy Echo Dot on Amazon - $28Buy Echo Dot + Smart Plug at Amazon - $33 Powered by Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, the Echo Dot is one of the least expensive smart speakers out there. You get a lot for your money, though. It delivers surprisingly good sound, offers a 3.5mm audio output to connect to an amp or headphones, and is small and discrete enough to fit into any décor. And of course, you get the power of the Alexa smart home ecosystem. The best deal is the Echo Dot + Amazon Smart Plug selling for $33. With that combo, your voice can control any outlet to schedule lights ("Alexa, turn on the lights"), fans and appliances or create timers and routines. Buying the items separately at full retail costs $75, and even if you bought both items on sale separately (the smart plug is currently at $20 or $5 off), you're still saving $15.  The Echo Dot with Clock gives you the same feature set as the Echo Dot, but can also show the time, weather and timers. The visual timer is very handy for cooking, and it's on sale for $40, or $20 off the regular price. Finally, the Kids version of the Echo Dot gives you the same feature set, but adds cute animal faces to the orb-like speaker. It's available with tiger or panda motifs for $40, also $20 off the regular price. It's best to act fast if you're interested, as the sale won't last forever.  Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

The Morning After: Another gadget prototype left behind at a restaurant Posted: 25 Apr 2022 04:15 AM PDT We've been playing peek-a-boo with Google's teased/leaked/rumored Pixel smartwatch for centuries now, but the existence of actual hardware makes it all feel a little more real. Unfortunately for someone who's probably been working hard on Google's bid to dethrone the Apple Watch (or at least make a more compelling Android wearable), they left the circular smartwatch prototype in a restaurant. Oops. Android Central There's a heart rate monitor, buttons and proprietary watchband latches (boo) and, well, not much else to add for now. The watch wouldn't run beyond its boot-up screen, so for now we'll have to dream how WearOS 3 will look. Such heady dreams! It isn't the biggest mishap in lost prototype property. Over ten years ago, Apple engineer Gray Powell left a prototype iPhone 4 in a bar, and Gizmodo got the jump on exactly what Apple had planned for arguably the iPhone that set the pace for smartphones at the time. That all ended in litigation. Will this Pixel Watch leak end similarly? I'm not sure, but Google could do with the publicity when it comes to its wearables. — Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed The revamped PlayStation Plus should hit the US on June 13th European Union limits targeted advertising and content algorithms under new law Halo Infinite's co-op campaign is now scheduled to arrive in August Sony's best noise-canceling headphone series could feature a new design Hitting the Books: When the military-industrial complex came to Silicon Valley Ubisoft says its new 'team battle arena' game isn't a battle royale Massive human cancer DNA study offers new clues to their causes UK scientists analyzed the complete genetic makeup of 12,000 tumors. A team of UK scientists has analyzed the complete genetic makeup of 12,000 tumors from NHS patients and discovered 58 new mutations that provide clues about their potential causes. The team used data from the 100,000 Genomes Project and developed an algorithm called FitMS that will give clinicians easy access to the new information. Continue reading. Twitter may take another look at Elon Musk's $43 billion takeover bid The company will likely weigh in on the proposal this week. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is re-examining Musk's takeover bid after the billionaire announced he had the financial backing to get the deal done. When Musk first announced he was ready to pay $43 billion to buy the social media giant, noting at the time it was his "best and final offer," Twitter was widely expected to reject the proposal. Twitter declined to comment on the report. When Musk first announced his bid, the company said it was committed to a "careful, comprehensive and deliberate review" of the offer. It's very likely we'll learn how Twitter plans to proceed sometime in the next few days. Continue reading. European Union limits targeted advertising and content algorithms under new law The Digital Services Act could reshape the internet beyond Europe. Following a marathon 16-hour negotiation, the European Union reached an agreement early Saturday to adopt the Digital Services Act. The legislation seeks to impose greater accountability on global tech companies, once the act becomes law in 2024. It'll have teeth, too: The EU will have the power to fine tech companies up to six percent of their global turnover for rule violations. And The Guardian did the math: For Meta, that would translate into a single potential fine of approximately $7 billion. Continue reading. What we bought: An excellent portable monitor Sometimes it's worth paying extra. Engadget Sam Rutherford's investment in an ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHP portable monitor is paying off nicely. With a selection of peripherals that come free with it, loads of ports and 240Hz refresh rates, it might be better than your older, existing not-at-all-portable monitor. Continue reading.

Elon Musk isn't done with the idea of building a hyperloop Posted: 25 Apr 2022 03:11 AM PDT Elon Musk first started the idea of a high-speed hyperloop transport system between cities way back in 2013, but he left it to other companies to develop the idea further. Fast forward to 2017, when Musk announced that would build a hyperloop system after all, starting with the New York to Washington D.C. route. Now, Musk has tweeted that The Boring Company will attempt to build a working hyperloop "in the coming years."  As a reminder, hyperloop is a system that runs pods with passengers or cargo through low-pressure tubes at speeds up to 800 MPH. It's an idea that could work in theory, but it's never been proven to run at anything close to those speeds in practice. Musk noted that hyperloop would be the fastest way of getting from one city center to another for distances less than 2,000 miles, with Starship being faster for longer journeys. He also noted that "underground tunnels are immune to surface weather (subways are a good example), so it wouldn't matter to hyperloop if a hurricane was raging on the surface. You wouldn't even notice."  In the coming years, Boring Co will attempt to build a working Hyperloop. From a known physics standpoint, this is the fastest possible way of getting from one city center to another for distances less than ~2000 miles. Starship is faster for longer journeys. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022 In fact, Paris subways are susceptible to flooding when the Seine river is high, for instance, and the New York subway system flooded during Hurricane Sandy, as TechCrunch noted. Still, perhaps hyperloop could be designed to be flood-resistant.   Meanwhile, Musk founded the Boring Company in late 2016 as a way to dig tunnels efficiently for cars and high-speed trains. That company recently received a big cash injection that valued it at around $5.7 billion, but it has yet to complete any significant projects, apart from the Las Vegas LVCC Loop with 1.7 miles of tunnels. (It has announced, but shelved or cancelled several other projects).  Hyperloop would add to the stack on Musk's plate, which could include a $43 billion purchase of Twitter. It's also not completely clear how serious Musk is when he makes such proclamations.  There's an obvious synergy between hyperloop and The Boring Company. It could become a lot more practical once the company finishes development of Prufrock-3, a machine that will supposedly be able to dig seven miles of tunnel per day. That's about fifty times faster than the company's current Prufrock-2 machines that can do just one mile of tunneling per week.

The Wachowskis are auctioning iconic film props to support trans youth Posted: 25 Apr 2022 01:25 AM PDT A record 238 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed in the US this year alone (as of last month), with about half of them targeting transgender people specifically. With that in the background, filmmakers Lana and Lilly Wachowski have announced that they're holding an auction of props from films like The Matrix and Cloud Atlas to raise money for vulnerable trans youth, Gizmodo reported.   hi youse! so me and Lana have been doing some spring cleaning at our Raiders of the Lost Ark warehouse and have happily decided to pass on some of the best treasures we've been collecting over the years!! no ark of the covenants but some pretty major and magical artifacts! — Lilly Wachowski (@lilly_wachowski) April 23, 2022 The Enter the Matrix: The Wachowski Collection held by Potter & Potter Auctions features items from their film canon and the Netflix cult series, Sense8. All the money raised will go to the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, which will distribute the funds to organizations in Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee and elsewhere in the US. A number of iconic props and items are up for grabs, like the screen-used Lightning Rifle from The Matrix "as seen wielded by Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) against Tank (Marcus Chong) and Dozer (Anthony Ray Parker)," according to the description. Others include Channing Tatum's screen-worn latex ears and gravity boots from Jupiter Ascending, a purple Segway from Speed Racer, an execution chair from Cloud Atlas, MTV Movie/ACE/Jupiter Awards, platinum records and more.  The auction is taking absentee bids, with a live auction starting on May 12th at 11AM ET. At the same time, Trans Week starts today and runs until March 31st — for information on how to help, visit their website.

Fade, Valorant’s latest agent, is a shadowy recon specialist Posted: 24 Apr 2022 03:18 PM PDT Riot Games has just revealed the newest agent coming to its popular tactical shooter. Shown off during the finals of Valorant's Masters Reykjavík tournament on Sunday, Fade is a shadowy bounty hunter that hails from Turkey. "I've seen your darkest fears," she declares ominously in her agent trailer. "Mine would eat them alive." In designing Fade, Riot's Nicholas Smith said the studio's intent was to create a foil to Sova, previously the game's only scouting-focused agent. "Fade brings recon to a personal level, more potent in a localized area," Smith said. "Haunt," one of her primary abilities, allows you to throw an orb that reveals the location of enemy agents caught in its line of sight. Fade also has an ability called Prowler that sends out a creature that seeks out enemy agents. If an enemy player is hit by the nightmare, they're left temporarily nearsighted. Fade can also temporarily immobilize enemies with her Seize ability. Fade will join Valorant's roster with the release of Episode Four, Act Three, which Riot is expected to release next week.

Apple may have begun a new push to remove outdated software from the App Store Posted: 24 Apr 2022 02:02 PM PDT Apple may have begun more rigorously enforcing its policy against unused and dysfunctional apps. Back in 2016, the company vowed it would go out of its way to remove applications that had stopped working, not kept up with its latest guidelines or become outdated. After not drawing much attention over the last few years, that policy came back into the public consciousness this week. In a series of tweets spotted by The Verge, a handful of indie developers shared an email notice from Apple prompting them to update their games. I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they're removing my free game Motivoto because its more than 2 years old. It's part of their App improvement system. This is not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale. This is an unfair barrier to indie devs. pic.twitter.com/7XNcLfiEcR — Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022 "This app has not been updated in a significant amount of time and is scheduled to be removed from sale in 30 days," the company states in the email. "You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review within 30 days." Apple notes developers can continue to earn revenue from microtransactions even if it removes their app or game from the store. Moreover, their programs will continue to work for those who have them downloaded to their devices. Some people who shared screenshots of the notice on Twitter expressed concern that the policy disproportionately affects smaller developers. "This is an unfair barrier to indie devs," Protopop Games developer Robert Kabwe said. "I'm sitting here on a Friday night, working myself to the bone after my day job, trying my best to scrape a living from my indie games, trying to keep up with Apple, Google, Unity, Xcode, macOS changes that happen so fast my head spins while performing worse on older devices." On a support page dedicated to its App Store Improvements initiative, the company states the policy is designed "to make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs." It also notes it wants to ensure all the software you found on the platform is "functional and up-to-date." Obviously, there isn't an easy answer to the situation. From the perspective of an iOS user, it's not great when you buy a new Apple device and find apps that aren't optimized to take advantage of the hardware. I encountered that situation when I bought my 2020 iPad Air and downloaded Klei's tactical espionage RPG Invisible, Inc. Playing the game for the first time, I was disappointed when I found out the studio had not updated the game to support the iPad Air's 2,360 by 1,640 resolution. In fact, Klei hasn't updated the iOS version of Invisible, Inc. since 2016. That hasn't stopped me from enjoying the game, but I wish I could play it without black bars letterboxing the interface.

Twitter is reportedly re-examining Elon Musk’s $43 billion takeover bid Posted: 24 Apr 2022 12:28 PM PDT Twitter may be warming up to the idea of selling itself to Elon Musk. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is re-examining Musk's takeover bid after the billionaire announced he had the financial backing to get the deal done. When Musk first announced he was ready to pay $43 billion to buy the social media giant, noting at the time it was his "best and final offer," Twitter was widely expected to reject the proposal. The company even went so far as to adopt a so-called "poison pill" strategy to ward off a hostile takeover attempt. But Twitter is now "taking a fresh look" at Musk's offer and is more likely to engage in negotiations, according to The Journal. The outlet reports the two sides are meeting on Sunday to discuss the proposal, but a handful of hurdles could complicate negotiations. For instance, company executives could insist on Musk agreeing to monetary protections if the deal falls through. Twitter declined to comment on the report. When Musk first announced his bid, the company said it was committed to a "careful, comprehensive and deliberate review" of the offer. It's very likely we'll learn how Twitter plans to proceed sometime in the next few days. The Journal reports the company will weigh in on the situation when it reports its first-quarter earnings on Thursday, "if not sooner."

Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign is now scheduled to arrive in August Posted: 24 Apr 2022 10:14 AM PDT Following multiple delays, 343 Industries hopes to deliver Halo Infinite's co-op campaign sometime in August 2022, the studio said in a roadmap update released Friday. Campaign co-op was one of the features that didn't makeInfinite'sDecember 8th release date. 343 Industries At the time, 343 said it planned to roll out the mode alongside the game's season two update approximately three months after launch. However, 343 first delayed the debut of season two to May 3rd and later said campaign co-op wouldn't be available when the season kicked off. The studio now says it's targeting an August release date for network co-op, with split-screen co-op coming even later. That means you'll have to wait to invite a friend over to play the game on a single TV. According to the roadmap 343 shared, couch co-op won't be available until sometime during season three, which won't begin until November 8th. What's more, that's a tentative plan, with a note on the roadmap indicating the exact release date of the feature is "TBD." If there's a silver lining to the news, it's that 343 is also targeting an August release date for a feature that allows you to replay campaign missions. Additionally, the studio expects to launch the Forge mode open beta sometime in September. The delays are likely to irritate Infinite's already frustrated playerbase further, but Joseph Staten, the game's head of creative, stressed 343 is doing its best to deliver new features quickly while protecting the health of its team. "We know we need to deliver more content and more features more quickly," Staten said. "Staying true to priority zero means that sometimes we need to slow down in order to stay healthy and move faster later. But we're also aggressively looking at ways to accelerate."

Someone left a prototype Google Pixel Watch at a restaurant Posted: 24 Apr 2022 08:39 AM PDT In 2010, Apple software engineer Gray Powell left a prototype iPhone 4 in a bar in Redwood City, California. In an era where nearly every device leaks before it's officially announced, images of a new iPhone showing up online seem quaint. But at the time it was a big deal and the incident even came to involve US law enforcement. Now, more than a decade later, images of another highly anticipated device have made their way online in much the same way. Android Central On Saturday evening, Android Central shared photos of Google's long-rumored Pixel Watch. The outlet says it obtained the images you see throughout this post from someone who found the smartwatch at a restaurant in the US. The photos confirm the Pixel Watch will feature a circular face with minimal display bezels. If you look closely, you can see the wearable's band attaches directly to its case, with a latch mechanism that looks proprietary to Google and reminiscent of the design employed by Fitbit on its Versa and Sense smartwatches (Google acquired the company in 2021). The watch features a single button next to its crown and what looks like a microphone or altimeter port. On the back of the device, you can see an optical heartrate sensor. Unfortunately, the watch wouldn't go beyond its boot screen so there are no photos of it running Wear OS 3. Android Central According to a report leaker Jon Prosser published in January, Google will announce the Pixel Watch on May 26th. The company recently filed to trademark the Pixel Watch name. Visit Android Central to see more photos of the leaked device.  Android Central

Hitting the Books: When the military-industrial complex came to Silicon Valley Posted: 24 Apr 2022 07:00 AM PDT As with most every other aspect of modern society, computerization, augmentation and automation have hyper-accelerated the pace at which wars are prosecuted — and who better to help reshape the US military into a 21st century fighting force than an entire industry centered on moving fast and breaking things? In his latest book, War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future, professor and chair of the Anthropology Department at San José State University, Roberto J González examines the military's increasing reliance on remote weaponry and robotic systems are changing the way wars are waged. In the excerpt below, González investigates Big Tech's role in the Pentagon's high-tech transformations.   UC Press Excerpted from War Virtually: The Quest to Automate Conflict, Militarize Data, and Predict the Future by Roberto J. González, published by the University of California Press. © 2022 by Roberto J. González. Ash Carter's plan was simple but ambitious: to harness the best and brightest ideas from the tech industry for Pentagon use. Carter's premise was that new commercial companies had surpassed the Defense Department's ability to create cutting-edge technologies. The native Pennsylvanian, who had spent several years at Stanford University prior to his appointment as defense secretary, was deeply impressed with the innovative spirit of the Bay Area and its millionaire magnates. "They are inventing new technology, creating prosperity, connectivity, and freedom," he said. "They feel they too are public servants, and they'd like to have somebody in Washington they can connect to." Astonishingly, Carter was the first sitting defense secretary to visit Silicon Valley in more than twenty years. The Pentagon has its own research and development agency, DARPA, but its projects tend to pursue objectives that are decades, not months, away. What the new defense secretary wanted was a nimble, streamlined office that could serve as a kind of broker, channeling tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars from the Defense Department's massive budget toward up-and-coming firms developing technologies on the verge of completion. Ideally, DIUx would serve as a kind of liaison, negotiating the needs of grizzled four-star generals, the Pentagon's civilian leaders, and hoodie-clad engineers and entrepreneurs. Within a year, DIUx opened branch offices in two other places with burgeoning tech sectors: Boston, Massachusetts, and Austin, Texas. In the short term, Carter hoped that DIUx would build relationships with local start-ups, recruit top talent, get military reservists involved in projects, and streamline the Pentagon's notoriously cumbersome procurement processes. "The key is to contract quickly — not to make these people fill out reams of paperwork," he said. His long-term goals were even more ambitious: to take career military officers and assign them to work on futuristic projects in Silicon Valley for months at a time, to "expose them to new cultures and ideas they can take back to the Pentagon... [and] invite techies to spend time at Defense." In March 2016, Carter organized the Defense Innovation Board (DIB), an elite brain trust of civilians tasked with providing advice and recommendations to the Pentagon's leadership. Carter appointed former Google CEO (and Alphabet board member) Eric Schmidt to chair the DIB, which includes current and former executives from Facebook, Google, and Instagram, among others. Three years after Carter launched DIUx, it was renamed the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), indicating that it was no longer experimental. This signaled the broad support the office had earned from Pentagon leaders. The Defense Department had lavished nearly $100 million on projects from forty-five companies, almost none of which were large defense contractors. Despite difficulties in the early stages — and speculation that the Trump administration might not support an initiative focused on regions that tended to skew toward the Democratic Party — DIUx was "a proven, valuable asset to the DoD," in the words of Trump's deputy defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan. "The organization itself is no longer an experiment," he noted in an August 2018 memo, adding: "DIU remains vital to fostering innovation across the Department and transforming the way DoD builds a more lethal force." Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis visited Amazon's Seattle headquarters and Google's Palo Alto office in August 2017 and had nothing but praise for the tech industry. "I'm going out to see what we can pick up in DIUx," he told reporters. In early 2018, the Trump administration requested a steep increase in DIU's budget for fiscal year 2019, from $30 million to $71 million. For 2020, the administration requested $164 million, more than doubling the previous year's request. Q BRANCH Although Pentagon officials portrayed DIUx as a groundbreaking organization, it was actually modeled after another firm established to serve the US Intelligence Community in a similar way. In the late 1990s, Ruth David, the CIA's deputy director for science and technology, suggested that the agency needed to move in a radically new direction to ensure that it could capitalize on innovations being developed in the private sector, with a special focus on Silicon Valley firms. In 1999, under the leadership of its director, George Tenet, the CIA established a nonprofit legal entity called Peleus to fulfill this objective, with help from former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine. Soon after, the organization was renamed In-Q-Tel. The first CEO, Gilman Louie, was an unconventional choice to head the enterprise. Louie had spent nearly twenty years as a video game developer who, among other things, created a popular series of Falcon F-16 flight simulators. At the time he agreed to join the new firm, he was chief creative officer for the toy company Hasbro. In a 2017 presentation at Stanford University, Louie claimed to have proposed that In-Q-Tel take the form of a venture capital fund. He also described how, at its core, the organization was created to solve "the big data problem": The problem they [CIA leaders] were trying to solve was: How to get technology companies who historically have never engaged with the federal government to actually provide technologies, particularly in the IT space, that the government can leverage. Because they were really afraid of what they called at that time the prospects of a "digital Pearl Harbor" Pearl Harbor happened with every different part of the government having a piece of information but they couldn't stitch it together to say, "Look, the attack at Pearl Harbor is imminent." The White House had a piece of information, naval intelligence had a piece of information, ambassadors had a piece of information, the State Department had a piece of information, but they couldn't put it all together [In] 1998, they began to realize that information was siloed across all these different intelligence agencies of which they could never stitch it together [F]undamentally what they were trying to solve was the big data problem. How do you stitch that together to get intelligence out of that data? Louie served as In-Q-Tel's chief executive for nearly seven years and played a crucial role in shaping the organization. By channeling funds from intelligence agencies to nascent firms building technologies that might be useful for surveillance, intelligence gathering, data analysis, cyberwarfare, and cybersecurity, the CIA hoped to get an edge over its global rivals by using investment funds to co-opt creative engineers, hackers, scientists, and programmers. The Washington Post reported that "In-Q-Tel was engineered with a bundle of contradictions built in. It is independent of the CIA, yet answers wholly to it. It is a non- profit, yet its employees can profit, sometimes handsomely, from its work. It functions in public, but its products are strictly secret." In 2005, the CIA pumped approximately $37 million into In-Q-Tel. By 2014, the organization's funding had grown to nearly $94 million a year and it had made 325 investments with an astonishing range of technology firms, almost none of which were major defense contractors. If In-Q-Tel sounds like something out of a James Bond movie, that's because the organization was partly inspired by — and named after — Q Branch, a fictional research and development office of the British secret service, popularized in Ian Fleming's spy novels and in the Hollywood blockbusters based on them, going back to the early 1960s. Ostensibly, both In-Q-Tel and DIUx were created to transfer emergent private-sector technologies into the US intelligence and military agencies, respectively. A somewhat different interpretation is that these organizations were launched "to capture technological innovations... [and] to capture new ideas." From the perspective of the CIA these arrangements have been a "win-win," but critics have described them as a boondoggle — lack of transparency, oversight, and streamlined procurement means that there is great potential for conflicts of interest. Other critics point to In-Q-Tel as a prime example of the militarization of the tech industry. There's an important difference between DIUx and In-Q-Tel. DIUx is part of the Defense Department and is therefore financially dependent on Pentagon funds. By contrast, In-Q-Tel is, in legal and financial terms, a distinct entity. When it invests in promising companies, In-Q-Tel also becomes part owner of those firms. In monetary and technological terms, it's likely that the most profitable In-Q-Tel investment was funding for Keyhole, a San Francisco–based company that developed software capable of weaving together satellite images and aerial photos to create three-dimensional models of Earth's surface. The program was capable of creating a virtual high-resolution map of the entire planet. In-Q-Tel provided funding in 2003, and within months, the US military was using the software to support American troops in Iraq. Official sources never revealed how much In-Q-Tel invested in Keyhole. In 2004, Google purchased the start-up for an undisclosed amount and renamed it Google Earth. The acquisition was significant. Yasha Levine writes that the Keyhole-Google deal "marked the moment the company stopped being a purely consumer-facing internet company and began integrating with the US government [From Keyhole, Google] also acquired an In-Q-Tel executive named Rob Painter, who came with deep connections to the world of intelligence and military contracting." By 2006 and 2007, Google was actively seeking government contracts "evenly spread among military, intelligence, and civilian agencies," according to the Washington Post. Apart from Google, several other large technology firms have acquired startups funded by In-Q-Tel, including IBM, which purchased the data storage company Cleversafe; Cisco Systems, which absorbed a conversational AI interface startup called MindMeld; Samsung, which snagged nanotechnology display firm QD Vision; and Amazon, which bought multiscreen video delivery company Elemental Technologies. While these investments have funded relatively mundane technologies, In-Q-Tel's portfolio includes firms with futuristic projects such as Cyphy, which manufactures tethered drones that can fly reconnaissance missions for extended periods, thanks to a continuous power source; Atlas Wearables, which produces smart fitness trackers that closely monitor body movements and vital signs; Fuel3d, which sells a handheld device that instantly produces detailed three-dimensional scans of structures or other objects; and Sonitus, which has developed a wireless communication system, part of which fits inside the user's mouth. If DIUx has placed its bets with robotics and AI companies, In-Q-Tel has been particularly interested in those creating surveillance technologies — geospatial satellite firms, advanced sensors, biometrics equipment, DNA analyzers, language translation devices, and cyber-defense systems. More recently, In-Q-Tel has shifted toward firms specializing in data mining social media and other internet platforms. These include Dataminr, which streams Twitter data to spot trends and potential threats; Geofeedia, which collects geographically indexed social media messages related to breaking news events such as protests; PATHAR, a company specializing in social network analysis; and TransVoyant, a data integration firm that collates data from satellites, radar, drones, and other sensors. In-Q-Tel has also created Lab41, a Silicon Valley technology center specializing in big data analysis and machine learning.

You are subscribed to email updates from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States