Tech companies are still withdrawing from Russia more than a year after the country invaded Ukraine. Tinder owner Match Group has revealed that it will completely withdraw its dating app brands from the Russian market by the end of June. The firm says it's "committed to protecting human rights" and is currently "taking steps" to limit access to its services before the exit.
Match Group hasn't said why it's pulling out now, or what it's doing to restrict access beforehand. We've asked the company for comment. It did acknowledge damage to its European region sales in March, a month after the invasion started.
Numerous tech companies exited Russia soon after the Ukraine invasion last February. Apple and Microsoft halted all sales in Russia in early March that year, while Netflix stopped streaming soon after freezing production of Russian originals. Internet giants were also quick to block Russian state media organizations RT and Sputnik. Non-technology brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald's also dropped Russia within months.
Whatever the reasons behind the timing, Match might not have much choice. The invasion has faced widespread condemnation, and there are no signs of a change of heart from Russian leadership. Jeff Perkins, the executive director of shareholder Friends Fiduciary Corp, tellsReuters that Match's continued presence in Russia is "not a good look" — it's doing business in a country accused of war crimes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tinders-parent-company-is-leaving-russia-over-a-year-after-the-ukraine-invasion-141504660.html?src=rss
Apple and Google have announced a partnership to tackle the issue of unwanted tracking through the likes of AirTags and Tile devices. The companies have proposed industry standards "to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracking."
The proposal has received backing from Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, Anker's Eufy brand and Pebblebee, as well as a number of safety and advocacy groups. The draft specification includes best practices and instructions for Bluetooth tracker manufacturers on how to implement “unauthorized tracking detection and alerts” for iOS and Android.
Apple and Google submitted the draft specification to the Internet Engineering Task Force, a notable standards development organization. Over the next three months, interested parties will have a chance to review the documentation and weigh in on it. Apple and Google will address feedback from the comment period, then work together to develop a production version of the specification by the end of the year. Future versions of iOS and Android will support the tech.
“Bluetooth trackers have created tremendous user benefits, but they also bring the potential of unwanted tracking, which requires industrywide action to solve,” Dave Burke, Google’s vice president of engineering for Android, said in a press release. “Android has an unwavering commitment to protecting users, and will continue to develop strong safeguards and collaborate with the industry to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth tracking devices.”
“We built AirTag and the Find My network with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking — a first in the industry — and we continue to make improvements to help ensure the technology is being used as intended," Ron Huang, Apple’s vice president of sensing and connectivity, said. "This new industry specification builds upon the AirTag protections, and through collaboration with Google results in a critical step forward to help combat unwanted tracking across iOS and Android.”
There have been numerouscases of Bluetooth trackers being used to stalk people over the last few years, as bad actors have planted such devices on unsuspecting victims. It's not only people that can be unwillingly tracked by Bluetooth devices. According to reports, thieves have used them to steal high-end cars.
Since it debuted its AirTags in 2021, Apple has rolled out some anti-stalking features. For instance, it has updated the devices so they emit as loud a noise as possible at some point after they're separated from their owners. An Android app can also detect AirTags and other Find My-compatible trackers that may have been planted on someone.
It was reported last year that Google was exploring the idea of OS-level Bluetooth tracker detection, which now seems very likely to happen in the coming months. The company plans to reveal more details about its efforts to combat unwanted tracking at I/O next week. Google is also said to be working on its own Bluetooth tracker, which it may reveal at I/O.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-and-google-team-up-to-tackle-bluetooth-tracker-stalking-140516646.html?src=rss
Whether you’re looking to replace an aging MacBook or are diving into Apple hardware for the first time, Apple’s laptop lineup is not as simple as it seems. There are just two options, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but depending on the configuration, a new MacBook can cost between $999 and $6,500, so there’s considerable variation between the two makes. All current models run on the company’s own M-series processors that combine CPU, GPU, unified memory and other functions on a single chip, giving the latest MacBooks longer battery lives, better multitasking performance and faster operating speeds over the previous Intel chips. If you’re not sure which model would work best for you, we’re here to make things a little more clear. Based on our testing, here’s what we think are the best MacBooks for everyone from students to power users.
Best overall: MacBook Air M2
Our resident laptop expert Devindra Hardawar called the MacBook Air M2 a “near-perfect Mac” in his review, awarding it a high score of 96. It’s the newer of the two Air models Apple still sells, and notably a better buy than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, as the latter is both heavier and more expensive. The Air was built around the new M2 chip and completely refreshed for 2022 with a squared-off design that ditches the wedge shape.
The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina screen hits up to 500 nits, making it both bigger and brighter than the previous generation. The 60Hz refresh rate doesn’t deliver the butter-smooth scrolling you get on Pro models, but it’s lovely nonetheless. The quad speaker array pumps out great sound, filling a room at max volume without distortion, and the three-mic array does a good job of picking up your voice for video calls. The 1080p camera is an improvement over previous generations. It even beats our top Windows laptop, Dell’s XPS 13 Plus which still sports a 720p webcam, but Devindra found the image the Air captures to be drab.
Despite being thinner than ever, the M2 Air manages to hang on to its 3.5mm headphone jack and includes two USB-C Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe connector. That means you don’t have to block a potential data port while charging. The battery life is ample, lasting 16 hours and 30 minutes in our rundown test, which should be more than enough for a day (or two) of work.
The M2 chip gives the Air enough speed to play games, particularly those from Apple Arcade. Streaming and cloud gaming work well through Safari, and you’ll find a handful of compatible titles on Steam. However, many of the bigger AAA releases still aren’t compatible with Macs – though Apple is looking to change that. Our review unit performed well in benchmark tests, beating the Air M1 and nearly matching the performance of the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. It’s a fanless system which means it’s quiet, but to keep things cool, the CPU does have to be throttled occasionally.
Overall, it’s an excellent choice for everyday use and can handle most tasks. Of course, if you’re planning on doing intensive video editing, you’ll likely want something more powerful, such as the MacBook Pro M2, but the Air is arguably the best multipurpose, ultraportable laptop that Apple makes.
The MacBook Air M1 may not have the most current Apple silicon, but it gets so much right that it’s still an excellent laptop. It earned a high score of 94 in our review and Devindra declared it one of the fastest ultraportables you could buy at the time. Of course, now that the M2 is on the scene, its numbers are comparatively less impressive – but with a base price of $999 (and often on sale for less), it’s a relatively affordable way for students or those with tight budgets to snag a fast and capable machine.
The Air’s 13.3-inch Retina display looks beautiful and is ideal for binge sessions. The laptop’s sturdy, wedge-shaped unibody case weighs just 2.8 pounds, making it easy to take to class or work. You can even fire it up in the quietest library without making a sound, thanks to a heat sink and passive cooling that eliminate the need for a fan. The keyboard offers a satisfying amount of depth despite its thin profile and the trackpad is smooth.
The performance of the M1 chip really makes the MacBook Air M1 stand out. It’s impressively responsive, launching apps nearly instantly and running them effortlessly. Safari delivers a slick browsing experience, loading complex pages quickly. The M1 chip is also behind the Air’s great battery life. We managed to get 16 hours and 20 minutes during our video rundown test, which should be more than enough to get you through a full-day grind.
Of course, it’s not without drawbacks. The M1 Air houses a 720p webcam, which isn’t as sharp as the M2 Air’s 1080p camera and it only comes with two Thunderbolt ports and a headphone jack. If you’re charging your computer, there’s only one available plug for accessories. There’s no SD card slot, either, and since Apple hardware isn’t the easiest to upgrade yourself, you’ll want to buy all the storage you need right out of the gate.
We recommend sticking with the base configuration (8GB RAM/256GB SSD) if you’ll mostly be using web-based programs and cloud-based apps. For an extra $200, you can upgrade to 16GB of memory which is good if you stream heavily, like to have a lot of open tabs or want to run a ton of apps at once. Alternatively, the same amount could get you 512GB of storage if you want to keep a lot of files and photos locally.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with a 19-core GPU M2 Pro chip can easily handle 4K video editing, effects processing and whichever Mac-compatible digital audio workstation you prefer. The 14.2-inch screen is a bright and vibrant MiniLED Liquid Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and animations. A six-speaker array produces crisp, punchy sound that’s better than what most laptops can deliver and the built-in mics are great for video calls.
As you’d expect with a Pro model, you get a full complement of ports, including an SD card slot, headphone jack, HDMI port and three Thunderbolt sockets. There’s even a MagSafe power connector dedicated to charging. We got a respectable 15 hours and 10 minutes of battery life out of the 14-inch model and, according to Apple, the 16-inch model can get up to 22 hours on a charge.
If you’re planning on processing a lot of 8K video, complex 3D scenes or more expansive music compositions, you may want the faster M2 Max chip. In that case, we recommend the 16-inch model, as its larger battery can better match the chip’s higher power consumption. As long as cost isn’t a deciding factor, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max is the way to go. It’s one of the more powerful MacBooks available, with a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU, paired with 64GB of memory and 2TB of storage. Those options will run you $4,299, but should serve even the most demanding user well for years.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-macbook-140032524.html?src=rss
E-scooter company Unagi, founded by former Beats Music CEO David Hyman, has inserted itself into a corner of pop culture. Its stylish scooters are often found in the hands of celebrities and musicians, setting themselves apart from the generic rental models found on street corners. Now, the company has unveiled the Model One Voyager, a second-generation version of its existing Model One, which the company will either sell to you outright, or rent to you for $55 a month. Given the plaudits afforded to that device, it should come as no surprise that the Voyager opts not to fix what wasn’t broken, but focuses on addressing its predecessor’s (relatively few) flaws.
Long-time Unagi followers may recall the company had been working on the Model Eleven, a wildly ultra-premium scooter to top off its lineup. Priced at $2,440, the Eleven would have offered GPS tracking, turn-by-turn directions and an ADAS collision sensor. Unagi killed the product, saying that the market was turning away from pricey, one-off purchases toward a service model. The majority of its customers presently pay $55 a month to rent a Model One, with the company taking care of the maintenance and insurance. And that switch in focus is likely to produce more models that look to evolve the existing concept, rather than offering something more dramatic.
To avoid all of the cliches, let’s get them all out of the way in a single paragraph and be done with it. The Voyager is a polish, an evolution, a refinement on the existing Model One template, and you’ll struggle to tell them apart looking at them from a distance. It uses the same industrial design, and the same high-end materials, although the neck and fork angles have been tweaked for better stability. It remains one of the best-looking e-scooters on the market today, with a clean, elegant design and color choices which straddle the line between transport and fashion statement.
Instead, the big changes are all on the inside, with a specific focus on addressing issues around range and power that existing Model One renters have grappled with. For instance, while the Model One’s quoted range tops out at a less-than-ideal 12 miles, the Voyager stretches to 25, which should be enough to get you where you need to go and back without anxiety. Now, real-world mileage will be wildly different based on your use (and your weight), but the hope is that the Voyager will eliminate range anxiety for most people.
Daniel Cooper / Engadget
The second new feature, Distance To Empty, is a system that calculates your remaining range. It’s not hugely sophisticated, since it uses a dynamic look-up table checking your weight, speed profile and hill profile against the existing battery level. But a better-educated guess about how much further you can go is likely to be a better deal than just letting you see the percentage of battery that’s still there and letting you hope for the best.
As well as the attention paid to make sure you’ve got enough power in your Voyager, there’s a lot of focus on getting it back out again. The Model One could produce 26 newton meters of torque, but the Voyager will knock out 32, with both motors offering a combined peak power of 1,000W. Unagi said that you can expect to see a 25 percent improvement in acceleration and deceleration out of the motors, and that you’ll see charging times fall in half compared to the Model One. That’s before we get to the promised improvements in hill climbing, where Unagi said that riders should “prepare to magically clobber hills that seem insurmountable.”
Disclaimer: I’m based in the UK, and it is presently illegal to ride an e-scooter on public roads and pavements. There is a generous exception for a series of government-approved e-scooter trials currently in place, but private scooters are all but banned. For this review, I primarily used private roads and other private spaces, where the laws do not apply, rather than in public. While the target audience for this review is primarily American, our lawyers have reminded us to say that Engadget does not condone breaking the law, and would-be UK users risk having their scooters seized, or facing criminal penalties including points on your driving license and a fine. That said, Unagi does sell the Model One to UK customers for £899, if you’re prepared to bear the risk for yourself.
You won’t need to spend a lot of time inside Voyager’s companion app, which connects to the scooter over Bluetooth. You’ll see your Odometer and Distance to Empty figures, and can toggle between single- and dual-motor modes. (You’ll really mostly stick in dual-motor mode which offers better range and performance unless you’re on a flat surface and don’t need to speed up or slow down too often.) You can also activate the front light and, crucially, lock the scooter’s wheels to make it harder for a nefarious type to steal it.
Daniel Cooper / Engadget
If there’s one thing Unagi should have, but didn’t, improve upon from the original, it was the ride quality. Specifically, making an effort to help the Voyager smooth out the sometimes less than pristine asphalt on our streets. Voyager comes with the same small, hard rubber tyres as the Model One, without much in the way of suspension or shock absorption. When I can feel every bump and crack in the road, it dents my confidence as to how far I want to ride this thing.
Admittedly, this is a common problem with a lot of e-scooters, but it’s one worth examining if you’re charging two or three times the cost of a run-of-the-mill Xiaomi. Sure, the monthly rent cost covers maintenance, insurance and everything else, but it’s still a premium product. It all depends if you’re living somewhere with flat, well-maintained roads, because none of this will concern you. But if your streets have more than a few cracks in them, be prepared to feel all of them in your knees.
I will say, Unagi shared with me both a confidence in its puncture-proof tyres and a belief that more can be done. A representative said that improvements to both the tyres and deckpad are in the pipeline, although neither will be ready for some time. It’s not yet clear if these tweaks will be available on a future version of the Voyager, or if they’ll be held back for the next new model, the Model Two, pegged to arrive at some point in 2024.
This is perhaps the one demerit I can offer, however, as everything else has seen the details sweated, and for a good cause. There’s the same set of electronic throttle and brake as found on the previous model, the latter of which I found very easy to trust. It’s a personal preference I know, but I’ve often preferred the comfort of a mechanical brake on cheaper e-scooters to give me a sense of security when it comes to stopping. Oh, I can also gripe about the milquetoast horn, which I’m sure wouldn’t send a group of slow-moving pedestrians scattering out of your way, but that really is it.
Daniel Cooper / Engadget
If you’re unfamiliar with the Model One, and you’ve been using an e-scooter with a smartphone mount, then the Voyager’s display may feel a bit minimal. There’s an old-school feel to the data on show, with a brightly-backlit speedometer that’s easily visible in strong light. That’s key, since you’ll have to take your eyes off the road to check your speed – although I will admit that I find my gut tells me how much speed I can handle based on the surrounding areas rather than trying to stick to a solid figure.
Below that figure, you’ll find either the odometer or trip computer, based on your preference, and below that, the battery display. At the bottom, you’ll also be able to see which speed profile the scooter is set in, and icons telling you if you’re in single or dual-motor mode. To be honest, I don’t know how much extra data you might need on a scooter display, and I like the neat and tidy way that all of this information has been laid out.
On flat, straight roads and gentle inclines, I found the Voyager to offer rather excellent balance. With some practice, I was able to get my turning circle down to the bare minimum, and it’s easy to ride at slow speeds. It’s even pretty easy to ride when you open up the throttle and try to get close to that top speed, even if I was too chicken to get it to max out. Similarly, the headlights are bright enough, although if I was riding this on roads at night, I’d be tempted to get a head or shirt-worn rear light since the deck-height brake light is a bit low.
The Voyager weighs the better part of 30 pounds, and it’s a significant lump to haul around in your hands. 30 pounds may not sound like a lot, but with the scooter folded down it’s quite an unwieldy thing to carry in your hand. I pulled my back one night and, the following day, tried to carry this to a private road for testing before bailing out and throwing it in the car instead. That solidity may make it prohibitive for you to carry up every flight of stairs in your building, but it also gives you confidence that it won’t fall apart after a few weeks of use.
Daniel Cooper / Engadget
If you’re already sold on the idea of toting one of these around with you, you’ll now need to look at the figures. The Unagi Model One Voyager costs $1,190 to buy, but the company doesn’t expect many people to buy it outright. Instead, it hopes they will opt to rent their scooter via the Unagi All-Access program which includes service and, for an extra fee, theft insurance.
The basic payment is $69 a month for a no-commitment rental, with theft insurance an extra $5 per month. You can also request a “guaranteed brand new scooter” for an additional $10 monthly premium. As the name implies, this will guarantee that you will get brand-new hardware both when you sign up, and also if you need a replacement. Plus, of course, you’ll need to pony up a one-time sign-up fee of $50. Adding that all up and dividing by twelve means that to have one of these in your life, your monthly outgoing will be $89 a month.
Now, you’ll have to decide if you’ll get that paid back compared to, say, using the local Lime or Bird scooters in your area. The obvious benefit is that you’ll be able to ride your own scooter and you’ll never have to scrub around looking for a working model when you’re out and about. The downside is that it’s a fairly significant outlay each month so you’d better be sure that you will get your money’s worth by using the scooter as your primary mode of transportation.
Meanwhile, if you’re already living inside Unagi’s scooter rental ecosystem and paying for a Model One, then you can upgrade to Voyager by switching your plan to the more expensive option and paying the one-off charge of $50.
If you’ve been looking for a scooter that will hopefully last you a long while, get you to and from wherever you need to go, and look good while doing it, then this is probably a decent bet.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/unagi-took-one-of-the-best-e-scooters-on-the-market-and-made-it-better-134510138.html?src=rss
With an excellent blend of power and portability, Apple's 2021 iPad Mini tablet is a popular choice — but at $500, it's not exactly an impulse buy. If you've been waiting for a deal, the 64GB model is now on sale at Amazon and Target for $400 ($99 off) in four colors, down to the lowest prices we've seen to date.
With its fresh and modern design, solid performance and improved cameras, the iPad mini 2021 earned a solid 89 Engadget review score. It’s easily the smallest (7.69x5.3x0.25 inches) and lightest (0.65 pounds for the WiFi model) of any current iPad, with an 8.3-inch display that’s more comfortable to operate with a single hand.
At the same time, it has similar specs to the iPhone 13, with the same speedy A15 Bionic chip that delivers a big jump in performance over the fifth-gen model. It comes with a larger 8.3-inch display with higher 2,266 x 1,488 resolution than the previous models, and eliminates the physical home button, moving the Touch ID sensor to the power button. The volume buttons, meanwhile, are at the top to make room for Apple Pencil 2 that can be attached to the side magnetically.
Other features include USB-C charging and upgraded cameras with support from Apple's Center Stage feature, keeping you in the center of the frame during video calls. The main downsides are the lack of a headphone jack, limited 64GB of storage on the base model and fairly high price compared to tablets with comparable specs. Amazon and Target have certainly taken the edge off the price, but it's best to act soon before the deal ends.
Semiconductor Industry Will Face Long-term Challenges In The Decade To Come, Says Gartner
The survey report further added that revenue of DRAM will reduce by 39.4 percent this year to USD 47.6 billion
Global research firm Gartner has now published its new survey report, which highlighted that towards the end of 2023, the revenue of the international semiconductor industry is anticipated to slump by 11.2 percent. The report also added that in 2022, the industry’s revenue amounted to a total of USD 599.6 billion, which was a very minimal growth of o.2 percent from 2021.
While many workers worry AI bots will take their jobs, Samsung employees are no longer allowed to use them. The company banned generative AI tools, like ChatGPT and Google Bard, after discovering staff had added sensitive code to them, Bloomberg reported. This revelation followed last month's incident in which Samsung engineers uploaded internal source code and meeting notes to ChatGPT and accidentally leaked it.
Samsung isn't waiting for another mishap to take action. "HQ is reviewing security measures to create a secure environment for safely using generative AI to enhance employees' productivity and efficiency," the company said in a memo to staff. "However, until these measures are prepared, we are temporarily restricting the use of generative AI." Samsung further expressed concern that data sent to generative AI tools is stored on external servers, potentially creating difficulties around access, removal and unintentional sharing. ChatGPT, for instance, uses data for training unless users specifically opt-out.
Though many companies are encouraging employees to embrace the likes of ChatGPT and Google Bard, Samsung isn't alone in taking the opposite approach. Bans are particularly popular amongst banks (clear hubs of sensitive information), with JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Citi Group all restricting employee access.
Beyond reducing worries about being let go in favor of an inanimate tool, most of Samsung's staff likely agree with the policy, sharing similar concerns to their employer. In April, an internal survey by Samsung found 65 percent of respondents believed AI tools came with security risks. With this said, Samsung is still working on its own AI tools for employees to use for tasks like software development and translation.
Employees can still use any AI tools on personal devices strictly for non-work related matters — violating this rule is a quick path to termination. The new corporate policy won't impact consumers, with generative AI tools still available across Samsung devices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-tells-employees-not-to-use-ai-tools-like-chatgpt-and-google-bard-114004180.html?src=rss
Geoffrey Hinton, nicknamed the Godfather of AI, told The New York Times he resigned as Google VP and engineering fellow in April to freely warn of the risks associated with the technology. The researcher is concerned Google is giving up its previous restraint on public AI releases to compete with ChatGPT, Bing Chat and similar models. In the near term, Hinton says he’s worried that generative AI could lead to a wave of misinformation. You might "not be able to know what is true anymore," he says. He's also concerned it might not just eliminate "drudge work," but outright replace some jobs – which I think is a valid worry already turning into a reality.
– Mat Smith
The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.
Another nine million views, but no box office takings.
Over nine million people watched The Super Mario Bros. Movie over the weekend — on Twitter. A Twitter user uploaded the entire movie to the platform – and kept it there for the weekend. A handful of copyrighted movies have repeatedly spent a few days on Twitter since Elon Musk took over, but Blue subscribers have also gained the ability to upload videos that are 60 minutes long, making it an easier task. Scrutinizing copyright for the team at Twitter is also a challenge when the company’s fired most of your safety and compliance staff…
Apple promised faster turnaround times for security patches with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, and it's now delivering on that claim. The company has released its first Rapid Security Response updates for devices running iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1. As usual, they're available through Software Update but are small downloads that don't require much time to install. Engadget and others have received an error warning that iOS can't verify the update as the device is "no longer connected to the internet,” so you may have to check for the patch at another time.
SpaceX's founder, Elon Musk, shared more details about what went awry during the first fully integrated Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster launch in April. In a Twitter audio chat on Saturday, he revealed the self-destruct setting took 40 seconds to work. It should have been relatively instantaneous. The FAA has already announced it's investigating the events and will ground Starship until "determining that any system, process or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety." Even with all of that, Musk called the launch "successful" and "maybe slightly exceeding my expectations."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-godfather-of-ai-leaves-google-amid-ethical-concerns-111514764.html?src=rss
Nextdoor is introducing its first generative AI feature, an in-app “assistant” that can help users rewrite “potentially unkind” posts on the neighborhood social network. The new feature is rolling out “over the next several weeks.”
It’s far from the first time the company has experimented with ways to remind users to keep conversations “neighborly.” The company, which has at time struggled to fight the perception that its platform can be toxic, began using “kindness reminders” in 2019 and last year introduced pop-ups reminding users to be more “empathetic.” The app has also served up more targeted nudges to promote anti-racist language and less heated political discussions.
The new “assistant” takes the approach a step further. Instead of preemptive reminders, the assistant will prompt users to “rephrase potentially unkind comments” and suggest new wording for the post. “It's great to tell people, ‘hey, be a little bit more constructive,’ or ‘you don't always have to respond,’” Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar says. “But now you're actually helping them reframe it in a way they might not have thought of.”
Friar notes that the assistant-written posts are optional and that users are free to make changes to the text it suggests. “It’s saying ‘when you word things this way,’ or when you maybe just add a few more sentences or add some context or an emoji, you can help someone hear you,” Friar says. “They may not agree with you, but at least they can begin to hear you.”
The assistant itself relies on the same OpenAI models used by ChatGPT, and has also been trained on “all of the data we've collected over our almost 10 years of life,” according to Friar. She says this allows the assistant to provide more tailored suggestions for other kinds of posts on the platform. In an example provided by the company, the assistant rewrites a post from a user looking for landscaping work with new phrasing the app says may “get a better response” than the original.
While the assistant is Nextdoor’s first use of generative AI, it likely won’t be the last. Friar says she’s particularly interested in how generative AI can be used for recommendations to help small businesses using the platform.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nextdoor-is-using-a-generative-ai-to-encourage-users-to-rephrase-mean-posts-103007787.html?src=rss
Given the size of modern games, there's a good chance that you're getting low on space for your Xbox Series X or Series S consoles. Seagate's Expansion Card allows you to double or triple your storage with no loss of speed, and there's never been a better time to buy one. The 1TB Storage Expansion Card is on sale at an all-time low of $150 (32 percent off) and the 2TB card is available for just $280, or 30 percent off.
These cards aren't cheap, but they're your only option to play Xbox Series X/S games directly from expanded storage. They're just as fast as the console's built-in SSD, and designed to easily plug in without the need to open your system. That way, you can spend your time playing games, rather than deleting and reinstalling them as your collection grows.
You can also connect traditional hard drives, like Seagate's 2TB Game Drive, to the Xbox Series X and S over USB. They're useful to have around for playing games from the original Xbox, as well as the 360. And they can also be used as "cold storage" to free up space on your precious SSD. Newer games can easily move back and forth between those drives, which prevents you from having to download them again.
In any case, this deal makes Seagate's Expansion Cards far more palatable, saving you a full $70 off the 1TB model and $120 off the 2TB version. As mentioned, these are the lowest prices we've seen, so if you're interested, it's best to act now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/seagates-xbox-series-sx-expansion-cards-fall-to-a-new-all-time-lows-101025451.html?src=rss
