After October 25, YouTube users paying for Premium Lite will have to pay for the more expensive full-fledged Premium tier if they don't want to see ads in their videos without resorting to ad blockers. The video hosting platform is discontinuing the subscription option, it told users in an email, where it also said that it will be developing more versions of it in line with feedback from creators and viewers.
YouTube never rolled out Premium Lite to all users around the world, and access to it remained limited after it first became available in select European countries in 2021. For those who did get access to it, though, it's been a great option to remove ads from the viewing experience, which is the only thing it can do, for only €7 ($7.42) a month. The regular Premium tier removes ads and comes bundled with YouTube Music, the ability to download videos for offline viewing, as well as the capability to watch videos in the background while using other apps. However, it's double the price at $14 a month.
The website is giving current subscribers a month-long regular Premium subscription at no cost even if they've trialed it in the past in a bid to win them over. They have to either cancel their subscription right now or wait for their subscription to be canceled before they can redeem the offer. But based on responses from users lamenting the Lite option's impending removal on Reddit, a lot of people are unwilling to spend twice the amount of what they've been paying when all they want is to watch videos ad-free.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtubes-ad-free-premium-lite-tier-is-going-away-121506789.html?src=rss
The Meta Connect 2023 VR showcase event starts tomorrow and there are a couple of ways to watch it. It’s streaming live on Facebook, which is to be expected, but you can also access the showcase from Meta’s Horizon Worlds app with a Quest VR headset. The event itself is a two-day affair, but the keynote address starts on September 27 at 1 PM ET.
This should be a big one for Meta, as the Quest 3 headset is just around the corner. We’ll likely get an official release date, which is currently described as sometime toward the end of the year. The original Quest 3 announcement was also light on certain hardware specs, so expect announcements on RAM, CPU, battery life, lenses and more.
Here’s what we already know. The Quest 3 will cost $500 and feature full-color passthrough, with Mark Zuckerberg calling it "the first mainstream headset with high-res color mixed reality.” It’ll also boast redesigned ergonomic controllers, a more comfortable form factor when compared to the Quest 2, and a significant reduction in both weight and size.
Of course, any console is only as good as its games and experiences. We already know that the Quest 3 will be backwards compatible, so you’ll have access to every single title published for the Quest 2 and the OG model, but Zuckerberg and company are sure to announce plenty of new games exclusive to the forthcoming platform. It has already revealed some cross-platform titles, like Assassin’s Creed: Nexus VR and Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, so we should get information on pricing and availability. There’s also a game based on the hit Netflix show Stranger Things launching sometime before the holidays.
The VR wars are starting to heat up, as the Quest 3 releases just a couple of months before Apple’s long-awaited Vision Pro headset. The massive price gap between the two, however, makes the Quest 3 much more affordable for regular people.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-the-meta-connect-2023-vr-showcase-120041699.html?src=rss
It’s the year 2023, so anything that can get an injection of AI will get an injection of AI. However, I doubt many people had the board game Pictionary on their artificial intelligence bingo card. Mattel just surprised us all and announced a new version of the game, Pictionary Vs. AI. It’s the brand’s first title to “incorporate AI technology” and marks the company’s “first major leap into the category.”
This isn’t a video game. It’s an actual analog board game with an AI-enhanced refresh. The difference between this and traditional Pictionary is that here everyone works to stump the artificial intelligence, instead of each other. You get a clue from a card, just like the regular game, and draw on the included whiteboard, just like the regular game. That’s where the similarities end.
The drawing is sent to a smartphone where it’s analyzed by a proprietary AI. This algorithm attempts to guess what you drew. Everyone else tries to predict whether or not the AI will be successful at guessing your attempt at an ice cream sundae that really looks like a sad, melty mountain. You make your predictions after seeing the source drawings, which should lead to some hilarious situations. Mattel says that “fun and laughter are sure to ensue with all drawings good and bad.”
Pictionary Vs. AI releases on October 2 and costs $25, which seems like a decent enough value. It ships with four whiteboards, a simple smartphone stand, a game board, game pieces, some pens and, of course, a stack of clue cards.
This may be one of the first board games to incorporate AI, but there are many analog titles with a digital twist. Mattel hasn’t announced if they’d be bringing this technology to other IPs in its stable, like UNO or Apples to Apples.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/because-everything-needs-ai-in-2023-mattel-added-it-to-pictionary-120009236.html?src=rss
There's never been a better time to buy Apple's 10.9-inch 2022 iPad, as the 64GB Wi-Fi model has dropped down to $379 on B&H Photo Video, near an all time low. That's a savings of $70 off the regular $449 price on the blue and silver options, or $399 for the pink version. The 256GB versions (also blue and silver) have dropped $50 to $549.
The 10.9-inch iPad earned an 85 Engadget review score this past October. It looks more modern than the cheaper and smaller 10.2-inch iPad, thanks to the flatter edges, thinner bezels, Touch ID button and USB-C port — similar to what's found on the more expensive iPad Air or iPad Pro. The A14 Bionic chip isn't the latest, but is easily powerful enough for media consumption, light work and other everyday tasks, while still delivering an impressive 10 hours of battery life. Its front-facing camera is positioned along the side, which is more convenient for landscape video calls.
There are a few quirks, including a display that's not quite up to the iPad Air's level. It also lacks an anti-reflective coating, so it's a little more prone to glare. It only works with the original Apple Pencil, not the vastly improved second-gen stylus. Nor does it support the same Magic Keyboard as the iPad Air or iPad Pro; instead, it uses its own accessory called the Magic Keyboard Folio that, while good, isn't as stable on your lap. It also lacks a headphone jack.
As we note in our iPad buying guide, if you can afford to step up to the iPad Air, that's the best option overall. And if you just want a competent iPad for the lowest price possible, the 10.2-inch model can be a slightly better value. Still, at this price, the 10.9-inch iPad is a better value, so if you have your eye on one, now's the time to act.
Amazon’s bid for AI glory is in the billions. It’s investing up to $4 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic to provide advanced deep learning and other services for its Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers. Google has already invested $400 million in the company, which was founded by former OpenAI executives.
Anthropic recently unveiled its first consumer-facing chatbot Claude 2, accessible by subscription much like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The Claude Constitutional AI system is guided by 10 “foundational” principles of fairness and autonomy and is supposed to be harder to trick than other AI. Anthropic is already working on a chatbot it calls Claude-Next, which is supposed to be 10 times more powerful than any current AI.
But it’ll have to impress if it wants to supplant OpenAI’s dominance, at least in the public’s eye. OpenAI’s ultra-popular ChatGPT chatbot is the one to beat, while its DALL-E image generation service has gained even more traction through its hooks into Microsoft’s Bing search.
DJI’s Mini 3 Pro fitting in tons of technology and a high-quality camera into a sub-250-gram drone. Its successor adds omnidirectional obstacle sensors, which eliminate the blind spots on the Mini 3 Pro, and a new feature called ActiveTrack 360, which lets you program camera moves when tracking a subject. The Mini 4 Pro isn’t cheap for a budget drone. It’s $759 for the drone with a battery and RC-N2 controller, but if you’re in the market for a drone in that price range, nothing else can touch it.
It’s only been a few weeks since Analogue released a glow-in-the-dark Pocket console, and I claimed the era of see-through gadgets was over. I was wrong. The same company is now teasing seven transparent Pocket handhelds: clear, smoke, red, blue, orange, green and purple. The retro gaming console will set you back $250 — $30 more than the basic versions. They will launch (and presumably sell out) on September 29 at 8AM PT / 11AM ET.
Resident Evil Village is heading to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max on October 30. It’ll hit the M1 and M2 models of the iPad Pro and iPad Air on the same day. The base game will cost $40 and its Winters’ Expansion DLC will be an additional $20. It’s expensive for an iPhone game, but Apple has teased a graphically rich, full-fat console game. Hopefully REV delivers on all of that. Other games coming to the iPhone 15 Pro include Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-amazon-bets-4-billion-on-an-openai-rival-111550176.html?src=rss
TRAI Recommendations on Promotion of NATEM - extremely comprehensive & forward looking recommendations
There is now inclusion of VSAT Terminals and IoT devices under NATEM Policies and benefits
The Broadband India Forum (BIF) warmly welcomes the TRAI Recommendations for the Promotion of Networking & Telecom Equipment Manufacturing (NATEM) for its excellent assessment of India’s true potential in Telecom Equipment Manufacturing and for delineating measures that would enable the sector to transition from high import dependency to becoming a global manufacturing hub.
Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has completely redefined herself with her new album GUTS, drawing on the kind of punky guitar growl that defined so many successful musical acts in the 1990s. She’s also teaming up with mega-corporation Sony to release a pair of limited-edition earbuds that draw on the basic design of the company’s successful LinkBuds S line.
These are basically a color swap of the standard LinkBuds S, with a “unique violet marble pattern” the company says was designed by the Grammy-winner herself. Rodrigo backs up this claim, stating she was “so excited” to help create “a limited edition LinkBuds S in the color violet,” going on to say that she “can’t wait for my fans to experience GUTS in this way.”
While deferring to a large multinational corporation isn’t exactly in the spirit of the music Rodrigo drew from on her latest album, there’s one cool techy tidbit here. These earbuds can access custom equalizer settings tuned by Rodrigo and producer Daniel Nigro. These settings offer an “optimal listening” experience of her two albums on major streaming services.
As with all LinkBuds S models, the new Rodrigo-flavored earbuds offer robust active noise-canceling tech, 360-degree spatial sound support, LDAC 3 for high-resolution audio and a transparency mode adjusts for ambient noise. The earbuds are also environmentally-friendly, more or less, as many components were manufactured using recycled plastic materials from automobile parts and reclaimed water bottles.
The LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo cost $200 and preorders start today directly from Sony and via a number of authorized dealers. This isn’t the first high-profile team-up between Rodrigo and a large company in support of GUTS. Back in April, she partnered with Meta’s Instagram to advertise a feature that allowed users to add music to slideshows.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/olivia-rodrigo-is-teaming-up-with-sony-for-limited-edition-purple-earbuds-110006126.html?src=rss
SAG-AFTRA members have voted in favor of a strike authorization for performers working in video games, including those who do voice work, motion capture and stunts for the industry. Of the 34,687 members who cast their ballot, 98.32 percent voted "yes." It doesn't automatically mean that the performers are going on strike, only that they could after September 26.
The guild explained that it's been negotiating for a new contract with video game companies since 2022, but that they "have refused to agree to critical terms [its] members need." For its next bargaining sessions on September 26, 27 and 28, it believes the strike authorization gives it the added leverage needed to get the companies to agree to its terms. At the moment, the guild is in talks with Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, VoiceWorks Productions and WB Games.
Specifically, SAG-AFTRA is fighting for wage hikes that would allow performers to make a living from their work in the face of inflation, as well as more rigorous safety measures on set. The guild is also fighting for a contract that would protect performers against exploitative uses of artificial intelligence, such as companies making unauthorized copies of their likeness and voice. These all mirror the issues that ignited the ongoing strikes in the film and TV industry. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is believed to be nearing an agreement with major studios, with one of the last sticking points in their negotiations being the use of generative AI in content production.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sag-aftra-video-game-actors-vote-in-favor-of-strike-action-over-wages-and-ai-101515825.html?src=rss
Cyberpunk 2077's developer has apologized for dialog and graffiti inserted in the Ukrainian version of the 2.0 update that's critical of Russia's invasion of the country, PC Gamer has reported. CD Projekt Red said it had nothing to do with the changes and promised to remove them.
"The Ukrainian localization of Cyberpunk 2077 contains several remarks that could offend some Russian players," the studio said in a (Google translated) statement. "These remarks were not written by CD Projekt Red employees and do not represent our views. We are working to fix them and replace them in the next update. We apologize for this situation and are taking steps to ensure it does not happen again."
As originally reported by Zone of Games (via a Rock Paper Shotgun report) some dialog makes reference to Ukrainian resistance slogans. Elsewhere, graffiti suggests Crimea is still part of Ukraine in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, following Russia's 2014 invasion. Other messages refer to citizen missile detection, COVID initiatives under President Zelensky, derogatory terms for Russians and more.
The Ukrainian localization was reportedly handled by the Ukrainian company SBT Localization, which also worked on Baldur's Gate 3, Darkest Dungeon and other titles. The changes were noticed by Russian and Ukrainian players, with multiple complaints registered on Steam and CD Projekt Red forums.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, deemed unlawful by a majority of nations, has had a deleterious effect on Ukraine's game industry. Developer GSC Game World was forced to halt work on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl after the aggressions forced it to relocate staff to Prague in order to help employees and their families "survive" the conflict, it said. Earlier this year, Ukraine sent letters to Sony, Microsoft and Valve, urging them to block the title Atomic Heart from their gaming platforms over concerns about Russian connections.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cd-projekt-red-apologizes-for-anti-russia-references-in-cyberpunk-2077-update-092347196.html?src=rss
Spotify is rolling out a new feature called "Jam," which will give friends a way to curate a single playlist on the service and listen to it together in real time. Participants in a Jam session can contribute tracks to a shared queue, which they can access whether they're in the same room or in various places around the world. The audio streaming giant is rolling out the feature to both free and Premium subscribers, but only the latter will be able to start a session and invite others to join as its host.
Premium users can launch a joint listening experience by selecting a song or a playlist, and then tapping the speaker icon at the bottom of their screen or the three-dot menu at the top. From there, they can select "Start a Jam." Housemates on the same Wi-Fi connection will be automatically prompted to join and contribute to the session as soon as they fire up their Spotify app. Hosts can also invite people anywhere in the world by getting them to scan a QR code or by hitting share and posting the link on social media.
While Jam was designed as a collaborative experience where participants can add music to the playlist, hosts will have the power to change the order of the tracks and remove songs they believe don't fit a theme or vibe. Spotify says they also get to determine who's in the Jam, though it's unclear if that means hosts will be able to kick out anybody from the session. That said, hosts can switch on "Guest controls" to allow all participants to rearrange the queue or to remove tracks from it.
Spotify Jam will be available globally starting today, so all users will soon be able to enjoy the shared experience with their friends. Those who'd rather stream music alone but still be able to discover new songs and artists would probably enjoy Spotify's daylist more. The new playlist launched earlier this month keeps changing throughout the day, based on the kind of music the user typically listens to.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotifys-new-jam-feature-lets-friends-collab-on-party-playlists-070041354.html?src=rss
