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World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch fans who were looking forward to getting together at BlizzCon in November may be disappointed to learn that Blizzard has canceled this year's edition of the event. The publisher didn't give a clear reason as to why it made that decision, but said it was "not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you look forward to it." 

Even so, BlizzCon isn't necessarily gone for good, unlike E3. "While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years," Blizzard wrote in a blog post.

The publisher plans to spill the beans about expansions (including the upcoming three-part WoW saga and Diablo IV DLC) for its franchises at other events, such as industry trade shows and Gamescom. Now that Blizzard is under Microsoft's umbrella, we can probably expect some news from the publisher at the annual Xbox showcase in June. There are also in-person events lined up for Overwatch esports and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Warcraft. 

BlizzCon 2023 was the first in-person edition since 2019, so to miss out once again in 2024 may come as a blow for many fans. Now they'll likely need to wait until at least late 2025 to meet up with a bunch of their peers and Blizzard developers again.

Formula E is halfway through its Gen3 car cycle and plans are in motion for the upcoming Gen4 racer. However, the series isn't waiting until that all-new electric car is ready to hit the track to debut some significant upgrades to the current model. Ahead of the Monaco E-Prix this weekend, Formula E debuted what it calls the Gen3 Evo, the fastest accelerating FIA single seater in the world by current standards. The series is also introducing body changes aimed at improving aerodynamics and durability, particularly to the nose, along with all-wheel drive (AWD) for the first time on a Formula E car. 

Formula E says the Gen3 Evo is capable of accelerating a full second faster than the Gen3 version, going from 0 to 60 mph in 1.82 seconds (0-100 kph in 1.86 seconds). It explained that that time is 30 percent faster than a 2024 Formula 1 car and 36 percent faster than the Gen3 EV currently used in races. Those numbers aren't theoretical either: the series has already achieved the benchmarks on track in Misano, Italy. 

"It's not simulated, it's real," Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds told Engadget. "It was really timed by the FIA at that speed." Dodds added that there were some "slight tweaks" in some areas, but the Gen3 Evo should still hit 60 mph in under two seconds when it debuts on track for races next year. 

A key aspect of this unlocked acceleration is the use of AWD on a Formula E car for the first time. The series debuted dual powertrains with Gen3, but until now, the one up front was only being used for battery regeneration. AWD will only be used during the later rounds of qualifying (head-to-head duels), the race start and when a driver has activated Attack Mode during the race. Besides the boost to acceleration, drivers should have better control and more grip when AWD is active. Plus, it entirely changes team strategy and could lead to even more exciting racing. 

"One of the occasional criticisms I hear is Attack Mode doesn't have a big enough difference," Dodds said. "I think with all-wheel drive, that will make a difference." He also noted that when you have 22 cars that are all capable of 0 to 60 mph in under two seconds barreling towards turn one, "that makes for a high jeopardy, exciting start of a race." 

Formula E

One frustration of Gen3 that Formula E is addressing with the Gen3 Evo is the fragility of the front wing. As part of a larger overhaul to the body that includes new side pods, rear wing and more, the new car has a redesigned, slightly pointier nose and a strengthened front wing. With the Gen3 car, front wing damage is common, and it often gets stuck under the car, which becomes dangerous for a driver trying to make his way back to the pit lane. In addition to being "stronger" and "more robust," according to Formula E, the body changes also improve aerodynamics, which could contribute to more wheel-to-wheel battles on track. 

Another key change is to the tires. Formula E is still working with Hankook on the all-weather compound used for its races, but the updated version offers 5- to 10-percent more grip compared to the current spec. Dodds explained that this increase in traction is essential since Gen3 Evo employs the front powertrain for AWD. 

"If you haven't got the increase in grip on the tires, that's pretty challenging to control," he said.

In total, Formula E says the performance upgrades on the Gen3 Evo equate to a two-second drop in qualifying lap times around the tight, twisty Monaco street circuit. Since the series stipulates qualifying time in that estimate, that means AWD and a higher power mode would be active to achieve it. But, it also means Formula E is unlocking the full potential of what Gen3 has been capable of since its debut last season. 

Formula E

Indeed, the bulk of the Gen3 car is still intact. That includes an all-electric race car that's incredibly efficient, converting 90 percent of its energy to mechanical power. By employing 600kW regenerative braking, the cars produce almost 50 percent of the energy they need to complete a race while on track. Like its predecessor, the Gen3 Evo remains capable of a top speed of 200 mph. And just like before, teams will make performance updates to the cars via software changes in search of any on-track advantage. 

Formula E says there has already been some driver testing of the Gen3 Evo behind closed doors, and the feedback has been very positive. Dodds explained that Tag Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein and DS Penske's Jean-Éric Vergne both drove the car in test sessions with rave reviews. Vergne, who is one of the more outspoken drivers on the grid, specifically noted how much better it drives than the current car. 

"The sooner we can get to [Gen3 Evo] in season 11, the better, as far as he's concerned," Dodds explained. "It's lovely to get that feedback, because happy drivers often create happy races." 

Reddit is completely down, as of around 30 minutes ago. This outage seems to be impacting each and every page on the internet's favorite collection of disparate community forums. The company says it's currently working on a fix and that the site will be back shortly, according to an official status page. The site experienced a major outage last year and was operating again in under an hour, so it shouldn't be long. 

It seems to a backend issue and Reddit has admitted that the problem "has impacted many users on our site." We'll update this post when everything is going again. 

The Anker PowerConf C200 webcam is 20 percent off right now via Amazon or directly from the company. This brings the price down to $48. The $12 dollar discount isn’t the lowest price ever for the webcam, but its dang close. In other words, this is still a fantastic deal.

The C200 is one of our favorite webcams, easily sliding into second place on our list of the best available models. We loved the easy setup, as all you have to do is plug it into your computer or docking station and start recording. It also integrates with the company’s AnkerWork software for editing and for making quick adjustments to brightness, sharpness and contrast ratio.

The default resolution is 2K, but you can adjust to 1080p, 720p or even 360p as the content requires. The field of view is similarly adjustable, so you can offer watchers an ultra-wide view of an extremely messy bedroom. It boasts dual stereo mics with omnidirectional vocal pickup and ships with a built-in lens cover.

The webcam’s autofocus is quite fast, even when compared to pricier models, and its larger f/2.0 aperture helps the image stay illuminated even in dark environments. The overall image quality isn’t quite on par with our favorite webcam, the Logitech Brio 500, but it’s also less than half the price.

We do have some complaints about the C200. It’s a bit cumbersome to adjust the angle when perched on a screen, due to the design. There’s no short neck that connects the camera to the base. It’s just one chunky piece of plastic, requiring both hands to make adjustments. Also, the provided USB-C cable is on the shorter side, so you might want to have a longer one ready to go, particularly if you use a standing desk.

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Meta is bringing some of its existing safety features to Threads, including the Hidden Words tool. The platform — which recently hit more than 150 million users — will now allow you to filter out words, phrases and even emojis, just like you can on Instagram.

Threads will have the setting on by default and filter out anything that it deems offensive, along with content that could be irrelevant or uninteresting. You can then add other things that you want to be filtered out, such as "weight loss," "assault" or a derogatory term. To add your own options, go to "manage custom words and phrases" and type in anything you're sick of seeing on Threads.

The platform is also testing two additional features: muting and quote controls. The first would allow you to mute notifications specifically for any interactions with your posts. This way, you could still get alerts about new followers or tags without seeing every response. Quote controls would let you choose who can quote your post and even let you unquote yourself. Meta has yet to announce when these two features might be available to all Threads users.

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to reinstate net neutrality protections that were jettisoned during the Trump administration. As expected, the vote fell across party lines with the three Democratic commissioners in favor and the two Republicans on the panel voting against the measure.

With net neutrality rules in place, broadband service is considered an essential communications resource under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. That enables the FCC to regulate broadband internet in a similar way to water, power and phone services. That includes giving the agency oversight of outages and the security of broadband networks.

Under net neutrality rules, internet service providers have to treat broadband usage in the same way. Users have to be provided with access to all content, websites and apps under the same speeds and conditions. ISPs can't block or prioritize certain content — they're not allowed to throttle access to specific sites or charge streaming services for faster service.

The FCC adopted net neutrality protections in 2015 during the Obama administration. But they were scrapped when President Donald Trump was in office. Back in 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to bring back the Obama-era rules, but the FCC was unable to do so for quite some time. The commission was deadlocked with two Democratic votes and two Republican votes until Anna Gomez was sworn in as the third Democratic commissioner on the panel last September. The FCC then moved relatively quickly (at least in terms of the FCC's pace) to re-establish net neutrality protections.

The issue may not be entirely settled. There may still be legal challenges from the telecom industry. However, the FCC's vote in favor of net neutrality is a win for advocates of an open and equitable internet.

The University of Maine just unveiled the world’s largest polymer 3D printer. The new printer, named Factory of the Future 1.0 (FoF 1.0), can print objects as large as 96 feet long by 32 feet wide by 18 feet high. It’s also quite speedy, relatively speaking, as it can print up to 500 pounds per hour. That’s like three people, every hour.

It can dynamically switch between printing techniques to suit different aspects of complex jobs. The printer can flip between large-scale additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, continuous tape layup and robot arm operations. These technologies make the printer uniquely suited for a number of industries, including housing, infrastructure and the development of military vehicles.

Most of the stuff it makes is recyclable, so “you can basically deconstruct it, grind it up if you wish” and “do it again”, according to Dr. Habib Dagher, the Director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. To that end, the printer prioritizes biobased materials, like wood residuals.

This tech seems like a great way to build a ton of affordable housing quickly and that’s exactly what some proponents have in mind. “Maine needs an estimated 80,000 additional homes by 2030, many specifically for households with incomes at or below the area median income,” said MaineHousing’s Development Director Mark Wiesendanger. “This effort creates another means of producing quality affordable housing, while further driving costs down, and using abundant wood residuals from Maine sawmills.” AP suggests the printer “may one day create entire neighborhoods.” The specs indicate that it should be able to make a modest single-story home in around 80 hours.

However, this is America, so it’s not like people built this thing just to help the unhoused. UMaine researchers received funding from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. These governmental institutions are going to want a return on their investment, so the printer will also likely be used to whip up lightweight rapidly deployable vessels, like submarines and other maritime vehicles. Senator Susan Collins called the printer “invaluable to our national security."

The FoF 1.0 has a sibling printer on the UMaine campus, which was the previous record holder for the world’s largest 3D printer. It’s already been used to manufacture a 600-square-foot, single-family home made of wood fiber and bioresin materials. The new printer, however, is four times the size. Luckily, the two models are housed in the same location and can work on different aspects of the same projects simultaneously.

The University of Maine will soon break ground on a new research laboratory called the Green Engineering and Materials (GEM) Factory of the Future. This will be the new home of both printers, with a primary aim to “facilitate and scale up more sustainable manufacturing practices.” It will also likely house even larger printers in the future. “We’re learning from this to design the next one,” Dr. Dagher told ABC News.

Facepunch Studios has announced on Steam that it's removing 20 years' worth of Nintendo-related workshop items for its sandbox game Garry's Mod to comply with the Japanese company's demands. Earlier this year, an X user with the name Brewster T. Koopa posted that a group of trolls was filing false DMCA claims against the game to get Nintendo add-ons removed and to get add-on makers to shut down. The perpetrators allegedly used a fake email to impersonate Nintendo's lawyers to send DMCA takedown notices. Facepunch Studios said in its new announcement, that it believes the demands legitimately came from Nintendo and that it has to respect the company's decision and start taking down items related to its IPs. 

"This is an ongoing process, as we have 20 years of uploads to go through," the developer wrote. "If you want to help us by deleting your Nintendo related uploads and never uploading them again, that would help us a lot."

Koopa said in a follow-up tweet that they sent an email to the company to let it know that the demands aren't actually from Nintendo. They previously argued that the takedown notices couldn't be from the Japanese gaming giant, because Nintendo add-ons have been around since 2005 and because the company would've contacted Valve, the publisher of Garry's Mod, itself.

While the announcement is still up, Facepunch founder Garry Newman announced that his team has received people's emails and DMs and that the developer is conducting an investigation. "We need to take these things seriously (particularly from Nintendo), but we also can't let people misuse DMCA takedowns," Newman wrote. We've reached out to Nintendo to ask whether the takedowns Facepunch received truly came from the company, and we'll update this post once they respond.

It's a post-Digital Markets Act (DMA) world, and Spotify continues to test what that means for its iOS app. The music streamer announced that it submitted an update for Apple's approval that would allow Spotify to display "basic pricing and website information" on its app in Europe and "the bare minimum outlined under the European Commission's ruling in its music streaming case." 

In the news, shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Spotify's chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins further stated, "By charging developers to communicate with consumers through in-app links, Apple continues to break European law. It's past time for the Commission to enforce its decision so that consumers can see real, positive benefits."

Apple and Spotify have consistently butted heads over what the latter can and can't do with its iOS app. Following the DMA going into effect, Spotify submitted an update to Apple that would have allowed users to purchase plans directly from the app, but Apple rejected it. Apple did so even though the European Union had just hit it with a nearly $2 billion fine for "blocking" alternative music apps. The EU is also investigating Apple, Meta and Google for self-preferencing and charging developers additional fees. As for how Apple will react to Spotify's latest test, we'll just have to wait and see.

Back in January, startup Rabbit revealed its first device at CES 2024. The R1 is an adorable, vibrant orange AI machine with a camera, scroll wheel, and ambitious demos. Now, the device is being sent out to early adopters (and tech reviewers), and we’ve got some proper hands-on experience to tide you over until we’ve wrapped up a full review.

It’s definitely cute, designed by Teenage Engineering, which has put its design talents to use on the Playdate as well as Nothing’s most recent phones as well as music gadgets. Like all those things, it combines a retro-futuristic aesthetic with solid build quality, shiny surfaces, glass and metal accents.

Engadget

Then again, the Humane AI Pin was a beautiful piece of tech too, but it was also… rubbish. The Rabbit R1 is a different device. First, it costs $199 — less than a third of the AI Pin’s $700. Humane also requires a monthly $24 subscription fee to use the thing — you don’t need a sub for the R1 at all. Immediately, that’s much better.

The category of AI assistant-centric devices is very new, however. Rabbit’s device is different to Humane’s in both hardware and features, but we know the R1 isn’t launching with all its features just yet. There are a few curiously simple tools missing, like alarms and calendar support.

Make sure you check out our first impressions here. Review incoming!

— Mat Smith

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Threads has 150 million monthly users

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